Duckett's 149 sets the stage as England chases down 371 runs at Headingley
Duckett's 149 sets the stage as England chases down 371 runs at Headingley
England chased down the target of 371 against India in the first Test. This is England's second-highest successful chase in test history.
Headingley has turned into a great place for England to achieve big comebacks and they’ve proved it once again. Chasing a tough target of 371, they got the job done in just 82 overs. Credit goes to a brilliant 149 by Ben Duckett and a finishing six by Jamie Smith. This marked England’s sixth straight Test win at Leeds, all after bowling first. They now lead 1-0 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Captain Ben Stokes must’ve felt relieved after choosing to bowl first, a call that paid off. India, on the other hand, will be disappointed they had several chances to take control of the match but failed to capitalise on them. Despite scoring five centuries compared to England’s two, India’s two dramatic collapses losing 7 wickets for 41 runs and 6 for 31, along with six dropped catches, proved too costly.
This loss was a rough start for India’s new skipper, Shubman Gill. Although his first-innings century was eye-catching, the result overshadowed it. India has now lost seven out of their last nine Tests and could be without Jasprit Bumrah for three of the remaining four matches in this series.
Bumrah, who was unstoppable in Australia with 32 wickets, began strongly in this match with a five-for in the first innings. But he couldn’t break through in England’s chase. Duckett and Zak Crawley took him on confidently, building a solid 188-run partnership despite some rainy weather threatening the match.
Duckett was sensational. He began cautiously, then picked up the pace as he started targeting Jadeja and Prasidh Krishna. Duckett’s reverse sweeps and aggressive strokes kept the scoreboard ticking, and he got good support from Crawley. Although Prasidh took five wickets in the game, his economy rate of 6.28 was the worst by any Indian bowler in Test history.
England did have a shaky patch in the afternoon when Prasidh and Shardul Thakur picked up quick wickets. But Joe Root (53*) and Jamie Smith (who smashed Jadeja for 18 runs in an over) brought calm and class to the chase, finishing things off with 14 overs to spare.
Earlier in the day, Duckett and Crawley batted through the morning session without losing a wicket. They handled tough spells from Bumrah and Siraj well before attacking the second-string bowlers. Duckett had a lucky break on 97 when Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped a chance off Siraj his third drop of the match. Soon after, Duckett reached his century with a reverse sweep, celebrating with a fist-pump.
Even though Crawley and Pope fell quickly, and Duckett was eventually caught on 149, England never looked out of control. Stokes and Root held firm until tea, and after the break, Root continued while Stokes fell trying a reverse sweep.
Jamie Smith walked in at No. 7 with confidence, looking to prove a point after a poor shot in the first innings. Alongside Root, he guided England home with a 71-run partnership, showing maturity under pressure.
Meanwhile, India’s bowling choices raised eyebrows. Siraj wasn’t used for 40 overs, and Bumrah didn't bowl in the last phase when the match could still have swung. With Bumrah possibly missing more games, India may need to seriously reconsider their bowling strategy.
In the end, Stokes’ choice to field first looked like a masterstroke. Headingley once again lived up to its reputation, with five of the last seven Tests here featuring fourth-innings chases of 250-plus. England’s win wasn’t just exciting it was efficient, smart, and a sign of a team that knows how to get things done when it matters.