Ben Duckett’s heroics seal record chase as England go 1-0 up against India at Headingley

LEEDS(UK): Ben Duckett’s masterful 149 set the tone for a historic run chase as England chased down the target of 371 to defeat India by five wickets at Headingley. With the win, England take a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series.

Resuming on the final day with all ten wickets intact, England displayed clinical composure throughout the chase. They were well-placed at 269/4 by Tea, with captain Ben Stokes and Joe Root putting together a steady 49-run stand.

England reached the 300-run mark in the 66.4 overs, but just after that milestone, Stokes perished for 33, attempting a reverse sweep off Ravindra Jadeja that found Shubman Gill. That proved to be India’s only breakthrough in the final session. England were 302/5.

From there, Joe Root and Jamie Smith took control, guiding England safely to the finish line. The pair added an unbeaten 71-run partnership, showcasing both calmness and flair. Root anchored the innings with an assured 53 off 84 deliveries, striking six boundaries, while Smith added a brisk 44 off 55, sealing the match with a towering six off Jadeja to bring up the winning runs.

England reached the target in just 82 overs, finishing at 373/5.

India’s bowling attack faltered under pressure, with frequent misfields and dropped catches compounding their woes. Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna picked up two wickets apiece but proved costly, conceding 51 and 92 runs respectively. Ravindra Jadeja ended with figures of 1/104.

Despite the loss, India’s batters had much to show for their efforts in the match. Remarkably, five Indian batters scored centuries in the game:

Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), Shubman Gill (147), Rishabh Pant (134 and 118 in both innings), and KL Rahul (137). This marks the most individual centuries by a team in a losing cause in Test history, surpassing Australia’s four in their defeat to England in the 1928/29 Melbourne Test.

Earlier, India had its moments with Prasidh and Shardul’s whirlwind, but England maintained its position in the driver’s seat with a flurry of runs to stay at the top. Duckett and Zak Crawley continued to switch through gears, adding to the mounting woes of a beleaguered Indian team.

Jasprit Bumrah looked ineffective, Mohammed Siraj struggled to ask the right questions, and Prasidh Krishna remained in the hunt for his lost rhythm. However, India orchestrated a late comeback with Prasidh and Shardul’s moments of magic.

Crawley bid his time with patience and pushed the ball for a single to bring up his hard-fought fifty. It was the first instance of both opening batters hitting 50-plus scores in the fourth innings of a Headingley Test.

The duo went on to raise an unbeaten 156-run partnership, the highest opening partnership in the fourth innings of a home Test for England, surpassing 154 between Geoffrey Boycott and Mike Brearley against Australia in Nottingham in 1977.

As the session progressed, a faint opportunity crossed India’s path when Siraj forced a top edge from Ben Duckett, which traversed to Yashasvi Jaiswal, stationed at the deep backwards square leg.

Jaiswal, already guilty of spilling three opportunities, had a shot at redeeming himself. He positioned himself well but tantalisingly floored the ball to leave Duckett a lifeline on 97, leaving Siraj livid in anguish.

The explosive southpaw made the most of the opportunity and pulled out a reverse sweep to send the ball screaming to the boundary rope. The moment the ball breezed past the line, Duckett leapt and punched his fist in the air to celebrate a special hundred.

Rain intervened and offered India a chance to rejig its plans and push a late comeback in the Test to tip the scales on their side. Prasidh was the glimmer of hope that India yearned for and offered the tourists a moment of reprieve.

Moments after the resumption of play, Prasidh lured a thick outside edge with a late outswing to remove Crawley on 65(126). In his next over, with a touch of reverse swing, Prasidh rattled the timber to remove Ollie Pope cheaply on 8(8).

Joe Root joined Duckett and broke India’s rhythm without breaking a sweat. The scoreboard kept ticking as Root used his strength to maintain a constant boundary flow.

Root cleared the boundary rope with a surreal switch hit for an effortless towering maximum. India needed inspiration, and Shardul Thakur became the beacon of hope.

He used all his experience, deceived Duckett with his pace and lured Duckett into depositing the ball to substitute Nitish Reddy. On the next ball, Harry Brook ambled down the crease, looking to flick the ball, but gave away a faint edge to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and returned with a golden duck.

When India stood in a position to make inroads into England’s middle order, rain intervened yet again to force an early tea.

In the first session, England steadily built on their platform and went into lunch at 117 without loss, needing a further 254 runs for victory. Crawley and Duckett batted with composure and control, blunting the Indian attack.

Duckett was the more aggressive of the two, racing to 64 off 89 balls with eight boundaries. Crawley, anchoring the innings, remained unbeaten on 42 off 93 deliveries, including four boundaries. The pair brought up the 50-run partnership in 16.2 overs and crossed the 100 mark in 24.3 overs, keeping the required run rate in check.

India’s bowling attack failed to make any breakthroughs in the session. Jasprit Bumrah bowled tightly and conceded just 21 runs in his nine overs, but also dropped a tough return catch off Crawley that could have provided the much-needed opening. Mohammed Siraj gave away 23 runs from eight overs, while Ravindra Jadeja kept things tidy with figures of 4-0-9-0. However, both Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur proved expensive, Krishna leaking 38 runs from his six overs and Thakur conceding 17 runs in just three.

India began the Headingley Test on a strong note, dominating Day 1 with a commanding total of 359/3. However, their momentum dipped on Day 2 as they were bundled out for 471, adding just 112 runs to their overnight score.

In response, England ended Day 2 at 209/3 in their first innings and went on to post 465, trailing India by just six runs. India began their second innings under slight pressure and ended Day 3 at 90/2.

On Day 4, India managed to post 364 in their second innings, setting England a challenging target of 371. By stumps, England had safely reached 21/0.

The final day saw England produce a near-flawless run chase. Led by Ben Duckett’s stunning 149 and key contributions from Zak Crawley, Joe Root and Jamie Smith, the hosts reached the target in just 82 overs, finishing at 373/5 to clinch a five-wicket win and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series.

Brief scores: India 471 & 364 (KL Rahul 137, Rishabh Pant 118; Josh Tongue 3/72) vs England 373/5 (Ben Duckett 149, Zak Crawley 65; Shardul Thakur 2/51). (ANI)