“Niche hi reh” - Rishabh Pant’s advice for Shubman Gill goes viral through stump mic in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test [Watch]

India’s vice-captain Rishabh Pant was seen offering advice to skipper Shubman Gill on Day 1 (Friday, June 20) of the first Test in the five-match series against England. The series opener is being played at the Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds.

The incident occurred when Gill advanced down the pitch against spinner Shoaib Bashir and lofted the ball slightly towards the mid-off region. From the non-striker's end, Pant shared a quick tip with the right-handed batter, which was caught on the stump mic. The southpaw said (via Star Sports India's Instagram account):

“Niche hi reh nikal raha hai toh. Niche reh ke hi reh, yeh aa jata, uth gaya.” [Stay as low as possible while stepping out from the crease to get close to the ball].

Watch the video here:

Meanwhile, after being put into bat, the visitors’ openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul (42) stitched together an impressive 91-run opening stand off 151 balls. Jaiswal brought up his fifth Test century, scoring 101 off 159 balls, striking 16 fours and a six.

Debutant Sai Sudharsan had a disappointing outing, getting dismissed for a four-ball duck. Skipper Shubman Gill came in at No. 4 and, along with Jaiswal, built a superb 129-run partnership off 163 deliveries for the third wicket.

Rishabh Pant then joined Gill at the crease, and the pair dominated the English attack. Gill reached his sixth Test hundred — his first as captain — while Pant notched up his 16th fifty. At Stumps on Day 1, the visitors were well-placed at 359/3 after 85 overs, with Gill unbeaten on 127 and Pant on 65.

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Rishabh Pant surpasses MS Dhoni to achieve a major milestone on Day 1 of the 2025 ENG vs IND 1st Test

Rishabh Pant was outstanding on Day 1 of the first Test against England in Leeds, remaining unbeaten on 65 off 102 balls at Stumps. During his knock, the 27-year-old crossed the 3000-run mark in Test cricket, becoming the fastest Indian wicketkeeper to do so. He reached the milestone in just 76 innings and broke MS Dhoni’s record of 87.

Overall, Pant is now the second-fastest wicketkeeper in history to achieve this feat, only behind Adam Gilchrist, who got there in 63 innings. As of June 20, in his 44th Test, Pant has amassed 3013 runs at an average of 43.04, with 16 fifties and six centuries.