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England defeated India by five wickets in the first Test at Headingley, taking a 1-0 series lead. A 72-run partnership between Joe Root and Jamie Smith secured the win for England, despite a late surge by India.
Team India’s misfielding has eventually proved costly as England clinched the victory in the first Test of the five-match series at Headingley in Leeds on Tuesday, June 24.
England defeated India by five wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the five–match Test series. With a target of 371, the hosts chased it down in 82 overs on Day 5 of the Headingley Test. Joe Root (53) and Jamie Smith (44)'s unbeaten 72-run partnership for the sixth wicket helped England to go past the finishing line, despite the match being briefly interrupted by rain, and India clawed back with quick wickets after the break.
When England needed 4 runs to win, Jamie Smith hit a winning six to take the team through the finish line, kicking off the series in style.
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Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley lay the foundation for victory
England resumed their batting at 21/0 in six overs, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley batting on 12 and 9, needing 350 runs to win. The openers steadied the hosts’ ship in their quest to chase down a 371-run target set by the visitors, who were bundled out for 364 in the second innings, building on a slender 6-run first-innings lead, thanks to the batting brilliance of KL Rahul (137) and Rishabh Pant (118).
Duckett and Crawley frustrated the Indian bowlers not only with their partnership but also resilience and composure, as they stitched together a crucial 188-run stand for the opening wicket that blunted the new ball threat and laid a solid foundation for a record chase at Headingley.
Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley kept the scoreboard ticking, although the match was interrupted by rain in Leeds. After scoring 62 off 94 balls in the first innings, Duckett displayed his improved showing by playing a brilliant knock of 149 off 170 balls. The 30-year-old became the England opener since Alastair Cook in 2015 to score twin fifties in the Headingley Test.
Zak Crawley had a disappointing outing in the first innings, scoring 4 runs off 6 balls, but managed to make a comeback in the second innings to make a valuable contribution of 65 off 126 balls.
Late surge by Team India
After struggling to take wickets in the first session, Team India bowlers put back pressure on England batters by taking crucial wickets. After the match resumed following rain interruption, Team India finally got a first breakthrough as Prasidh Krishna removed Crawley at 188/1, ending a formidable opening partnership that had put England in a commanding position.
Then, Krishna struck again by dismissing Ollie Pope for 8 at 206/2 to give India a little relief in their quest to defend the 371-run target. Shardul Thakur chipped in by taking two crucial wickets of Ben Duckett and Harry Brook (0 and England were at 253/4 and needed 113 runs to win the match.
After Brook’s dismissal, Joe Root was joined by Ben Stokes. The former and current England Test captains exerted pressure on Team India with their solid 47-run stand for the fifth wicket before Ravindra Jadeja picked his first wicket of the match by dismissing Stokes for 33 at 302/5.
After Brook’s dismissal, Joe Root was joined by Ben Stokes. The former and current England Test captains exerted pressure on Team India with their solid 47-run stand for the fifth wicket before Ravindra Jadeja picked his first wicket of the match by dismissing Stokes for 33 at 302/5.
With the match hanging in the balance with 69 runs in the final session of the final day, Joe Root held firm alongside debutant Jamie Smith, as the duo weathered the Indian bowling attack and guided England to a five-wicket win.
Misfielding proves costly for Team India
Team India's chances of winning have significantly diminished due to costly lapses in the field, including dropped catches and misfields. In both innings of the Headingley Test, the visitors conceded a considerable number of runs through sloppy fielding, with key chances being missed.
In the first innings, a total of five catches were dropped, three of which were committed by Yashasvi Jaiswal, as England edged closer to surpassing India’s first innings total of 471, as they were bundled out for 465 and handing the visitors a slender 6-run lead. This missed opportunity came back to haunt India in the final result.
In the second innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped a catch of Ben Duckett at a crucial juncture of the game. Duckett was batting on 97 when he attempted a pull shot off Mohammed Siraj’s length ball delivery, and it went toward deep midwicket. Jaiswal ran in and got two hands on a dive forward, but failed to hold on as the ball slipped through his fingers.
Out of six catches dropped by India, four were put down by Yashasvi Jaiswal alone — a forgettable outing in the field for the young opener. Due to mere dropped catches, Team India cost 202 runs at the hands of the England batters, several of those reprieves allowed key players Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Harry Brook to convert their starts into game-changing contributions.
In the second innings of India’s bowling, Shardul Thakur led the attack with figures of 2/51 in 10 overs. Prasidh Krishan too picked two wickets but conceded 92 runs in 15 overs. Spin bowling leader Ravindra Jadeja registered figures of 1/104 in 24 overs.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, who picked a fifer in the first innings, went wicketless in the second innings, alongside Mohammed Siraj.
