IND vs NZ, 1st Test Day 1: Shubman Gill Puts India on Top at Lunch After Mayank Agarwal’s Departure

Young opener Shubman Gill put India on top at Lunch on Day 1 of the first Test match against New Zealand at Eden Park, Kanpur. Shubman hit a sublime century after Mayank Agarwal’s departure to put the Kiwi bowlers under pressure. The 22-year-old played his first match for India after World Test Championship as he missed out on England Tests after sustaining an injury.

At Lunch, Shubman was unbeaten on 52 alongside Cheteshwar Pujara 15 as India posted 82/1 in 29 overs. Kyle Jamieson was the lone wicket-taker for New Zealand as he got the better of Mayank with a sharp out-swinger. The talented batter failed to grab the opportunity in absence of regular openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma as he was dismissed on just 13.

Meanwhile, Shubman was also given LBW out by the umpire when he didn’t even open his run-account but a confident DRS review saved him. It was the third over of the game and a sharp in-swinger Tim Southee troubled the Indian opener but he took the DRS instantly after the umpire’s decision. In the TV review, it was evident that Shubman managed to get an edge on the ball as the on-field umpire had to overturn his decision.

The 22-year-old is playing a solid counter-attacking knock laced with five fours and a six so far. On the other hand, Pujara is playing his natural game and has already faced 61 balls in scoring 15 runs. The duo has shared a 61-run stand for the second wicket so far.

Earlier, India’s stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to bat in Kanpur for the first of two Tests against visiting Test world champions New Zealand.

The hosts opted for three specialist spinners — Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel — for their first match against the Black Caps since June’s World Test Championship final defeat in Southampton.