Yash Vagadia Shines as Substitute Fielder in ENG vs IND Test Match
Unexpected Substitute Appearance
During the third day of the first Test between England and India, an unexpected twist occurred when a player not part of the senior England squad stepped onto the field. England's captain, Ben Stokes, exited the game in the seventh over, allowing Yorkshire's Yash Vagadia to take over as a substitute fielder.
Introducing Yash Vagadia
We see you, Yash 😍
— Yorkshire CCC (@YorkshireCCC) June 22, 2025
Quality to see our own Yash Vagadia out in the field during today's action 👏#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/gNANgpI49J
Yash Vagadia, a promising young cricketer of Indian descent, plays for Yorkshire. At just 21 years old, he is a right-handed batsman who began his journey with Yorkshire at the U14 level and later captained the U18 team. In 2022, he signed his first professional rookie contract and was honored as the Yorkshire Academy Player of the Year. His debut in the One-Day Cup came in 2024.
More Yorkshire Talent on the Field
Yash Vagadia wasn't the only player from outside the England team present at the Test match. Jawad Akhtar and Noah Kelly from Yorkshire also took on 12th man duties, contributing to the fielding efforts throughout the game.
Great to see Yorkshire’s own Jawad Akhtar, Noah Kelly & Yash Vagadia sharing 12th man duties for the #ENGvIND Test here at Headingley 🌞 pic.twitter.com/ALlFpr4JHH
— Yorkshire CCC (@YorkshireCCC) June 20, 2025
Stokes' Brief Absence
Ben Stokes temporarily left the field, which allowed Yash to step in. However, the England captain returned shortly after.
Day 3 Highlights of ENG vs IND Test
Day 3, Stumps at Leeds!🏏 pic.twitter.com/2vQldP7PFe
— CricketGully (@thecricketgully) June 22, 2025
At the end of Day 3, India stood at 90/2, with KL Rahul not out at 47 and Shubman Gill at 6. India now leads by 96 runs. Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for 4, while debutant Sai Sudharsan scored 30 before being out.
Earlier in the day, England was bowled out for 465 runs. Jasprit Bumrah claimed five wickets, despite India dropping six catches. Harry Brook narrowly missed a century, scoring 99, while Ollie Pope made a hundred and Chris Woakes contributed 38 runs, frustrating the Indian bowlers.