Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly Manifest Four-Centuries Feat for Team India against England

The duo put India at a comfortable position by the end of the first day, with 359 runs on the board. They dominated the second day, as their impressive 209-run partnership propelled India past the 450-run mark. Shubman Gill went on to score 147 runs from 227 balls, hitting 19 fours and a six, while Rishabh Pant smashed 134 runs off 178 balls, hitting 12 boundaries and six sixes.

With three players from the Indian side having scored hundreds in the first innings, it reminded many of the iconic 2002 Test between the two sides, at the same venue. Sachin Tendulkar took to social media to praise the team’s fiery start, as he fondly recalled a similar performance at Headingley in 2002, where three batters also hit centuries to lead India to a massive first-innings total of 628 runs against England.

Tendulkar’s remarks drew a warm response from former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who led the team during that memorable 2002 series, which ultimately ended in a draw. Ganguly responded by stating that the Headingley pitch conditions in 2002 were vastly different due to frosty weather, unlike now. In that 2002 Test, Rahul Dravid scored 148 on Day 1, followed by Tendulkar’s 193 and Ganguly’s 127, helping India win the match by an innings and 46 runs.

Ganguly also manifested the current Indian side to break the three-centuries record in the first innings. He predicted a fourth century, hoping for Karun Nair to also cross the three-figure mark alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, due to the better conditions. However, Ganguly’s prediction did not come true as Karun Nair, was dismissed for a duck by England captain Ben Stokes .

Moreover, India have ended with a first innings total of 471 runs, versus England. Interestingly, the last time four Indian players scored centuries in a single Test innings was in 2017, when Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli , and Rohit Sharma all achieved the feat against Sri Lanka in Nagpur, adding to a total of 610 runs.

Sai Sudharsan joins Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli in unique club, after making his Test debut against England

Tamil Nadu batter and the 2025 IPL Orange Cap winner Sai Sudharsan made his much-awaited Test debut for India, against England at Headingley in Leeds. The 23-year-old also joined a select group of India players, including Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli.

Sai Sudharsan became India’s 317th Test player, receiving his cap from ex-India Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara. His debut on June 20 holds special significance due to past Test debuts on the same date. Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid both debuted on June 20, 1996, at Lord’s Cricket Ground, while Virat Kohli made his Test debut on June 20, 2011, against the West Indies.

Sai Sudharsan’s Test debut was not what he had hoped it to be, as Ben Stokes dismissed the young batter for a duck on just his fourth delivery. Sudharsan is now the first Indian player since Umesh Yadav in 2011 to register a duck on Test debut.