IND vs ENG: England Pull Off Record Chase at Headingley, Take 1-0 Lead Over India
England chase 371 to beat India by 5 wickets at Headingley, take 1-0 lead in five-match Test series.
England pulled off a thrilling five-wicket win at Headingley, chasing down a massive target of 371 to take a 1-0 lead in the five match Test series against India. This was England’s second-highest successful run chase in their Test history and a reminder of the fearless cricket they’ve embraced under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
Openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley set the tone with a dominant 188-run stand. Duckett led the way with a stunning 149, while Crawley chipped in with a quick 65 before falling to Prasidh Krishna. Duckett was dropped on 97 by Yashasvi Jaiswal, a miss that proved costly for India. He was eventually dismissed by Shardul Thakur, triggering a brief moment of hope when Harry Brook fell for a first-ball duck on the very next delivery.
But Joe Root and Jamie Smith remained calm. The duo stitched together an unbeaten 71-run stand to take England home. Root finished unbeaten on 53, while Smith scored 44*, both attacking India’s second new ball and Ravindra Jadeja with confident strokeplay.
Earlier, Ben Stokes played a lively knock of 34 before falling to a reverse sweep off Jadeja. Despite a few hiccups and rain stretching the second session, England kept up their aggressive approach, scoring 152 runs and losing four wickets in that extended phase.
India, on the other hand, struggled to make breakthroughs in the final session. Captain Shubman Gill’s bowling changes, including bringing back Jasprit Bumrah, didn’t work out. India’s last review was burned on a failed lbw appeal against Root, leaving them without any help from the DRS.
India’s earlier effort with the bat was solid. They posted 471 in the first innings thanks to centuries from Gill (147), Pant (134), and Jaiswal (101). In the second innings, KL Rahul (137) and Pant (118) pushed the total to 364, setting England a daunting target.
England responded with 465 in the first innings, where Ollie Pope scored 106 and Brook narrowly missed a century with 99. Jasprit Bumrah stood out with a five-wicket haul. But in the end, it was England’s brave batting and India’s missed chances that defined the match.
