NEW DELHI: Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Indian captain Shubamn Gill and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring centuries on the opening day of the first Test against England are the massive positives for the touring side.
Overall, India's batting unit prowess was on display with KL Rahul and vice-captain Rishabh Pant also scoring runs for the side to take India to a dominating score of 359/3 at stumps on Friday.
Gill, who is leading the Test side for the first time, led from the front and hammered his first overseas ton to announce himself at the captaincy role in style. Jaiswal too was promising as he also reached the three-figure mark on his maiden Test in England.
Manjrekar reflected on India’s promising start to the Test series and the broader gains for the team.
“This is something I have maintained about the series - a lot of people keep asking what the scoreline will be, whether India will win or lose. But I have said all along: India has nothing to lose, only gains to make from this series. We have already seen so much on Day 1 itself. Shubman Gill has scored his first overseas hundred of real significance. Yashasvi Jaiswal has shown that he is not just a force at home - he can deliver on English pitches too. KL Rahul looked solid, and now we are seeing Rishabh Pant finding his form again. These are massive positives, " he said on Match Centre Live after the conclusion of Day 1.
Manjrekar assessed Gill’s captaincy and applauded his technical improvements with the bat.
"Let me go right back to when he was made captain - I was against it, to be honest. I felt Jasprit Bumrah would have been the better and more logical choice, without thinking too far ahead into the future. I did not think it was the right decision at the time. But was Shubman Gill going to be a failure as captain? No. Temperamentally, we knew he would not carry the anxiety of captaincy into his batting - that was always clear.
"The only concern was that he was still evolving, especially when it came to overseas conditions. But today, he addressed key technical areas that had previously stopped him from getting a big overseas hundred. Yes, the pitch was good and the bowling wasn’t too challenging, but once those technical flaws were ironed out, everything else - especially his temperament - stood out as a strength, " the former batter said.
With Gill unbeaten on 127 and Pant not out on 65, India have a chance to post a gigantic total in the first innings at Headingley on Day 2.