Must Watch: KL Rahul Bows in Respect as Rishabh Pant Shines Bright on Day 1

On Friday, June 20, in Headingley, Leeds, the Indian Cricket Team will be extremely happy with their batting performance on Day 1 of the opening Test match against England in the five-match series. Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to field first, and the Indians dominated, scoring 359 runs at three wickets. They scored at a rate of 4.22, giving England a taste of their own "Bazball" medicine.

As the sun began to drop over Headingley, Rishabh Pant took the risk that only he can. Most batsmen would bunker down and play out the day during the last over of Day 1 of the first Test at Headingley. Not Pant, though. Pant danced down the track to a length delivery from Chris Woakes, which he hit neatly over deep square leg for six with India sitting pretty at 351/3.

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant's iconic moment:

KL Rahul is bowing down with both hands to Rishabh Pant 😂😝

- Underrated Bond ❤️ pic.twitter.com/aml7wsL4Ji

— RP17 Gang™ (@RP17Gang) June 20, 2025

Woakes watched in astonished laughter. Ben Stokes, the captain of England, also grinned in shock. The best response, however, did not come from the field and came moments after. KL Rahul, who was standing close to the dressing room entrance, folded his hands and bowed to the left-hander in a mocking sign of respect as Pant ascended the Headingley steps to return undefeated on 65. Pant refused to control his aggressive tendencies, and at the end of the day, he came out on top. It was a mix of adulation and teasing.

A video of the dressing room emotions to India's incredible performance on Day 1 was released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Rahul and Shardul Thakur were the first to congratulate Gill and Pant, the two gifted cricket players, as they returned to the dressing room. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and other support staff members came next.

India had a great start to the day thanks to KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. In the first session, they played several entertaining strokes and added 91 runs. However, India lost two fast wickets before the lunch break. Rahul, who was born in Karnataka, chased a wide delivery and edged it to Joe Root at first slip before being removed by Brydon Carse.

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