England’s bowling coach Tim Southee defended captain Ben Stokes’s decision to bowl first after India scored 359 for 3 on Day 1 of the first Test at Headingley. With centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and new captain Shubman Gill, India made the most of a dry pitch that didn’t help the bowlers once the morning moisture went away. The decision to field first raised some eyebrows, especially considering how the pitch played out, but Southee, who’s part of England’s coaching team for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, said the call was based on the pitch’s condition.
He said, With the color of the wicket yesterday and some moisture left in it, we figured there’d be a bit of help early on. The Indian openers handled that first hour well. KL Rahul played nicely, and Jaiswal did too. There was a bit of assistance, but after that it was a pretty good surface.
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Jaiswal scored 101 and Gill was 127 not out, adding 129 runs for the third wicket after India were 92 for 2 after two quick wickets. Rishabh Pant chipped in with 65 not out, and India ended the day strongly, scoring at over 4 runs an over.
This was Jaiswal’s first Test in England, Gill’s fourth, and Sai Sudharsan was on debut. Maybe that’s why England chose to field first. Historically the last six Tests at Headingley have been won by the team bowling first, but some critics felt England focused too much on that stat rather than the current conditions.
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You can’t overthink it. Look at the surface and make a call on what gives you the best chance. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don’t, Southee said. He added, With the weather, there would be some moisture in the wicket this morning. The first hour might have helped, but usually with this weather it turns into a pretty good pitch.England’s bowlers struggled at times but India’s batting showed a new look with Jaiswal and Gill playing in the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Their innings set the tone for the match and the new five-Test Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Now England have to bat and hope the pitch stays good enough for them to get back in.
