1ST TEST, ENGLAND Vs INDIA, HEADINGLEY , LEEDS , 2025 HIGHLIGHTS : Ben Duckett’s Brilliant Batting Made Chasing Easy For England Against India .
England defeat India by an innings in first Test of five-match Test series at Headingley, Leeds. In a closely fought match that went to the wire on the final day, England came out on top by ceding the second-highest run chase in Test cricket on English soil as they chased down 371 with five wickets to spare. Ben Duckett’s brilliant 149 on the last day led the way for England openers. India are now the only team in the 148 years of Test cricket to have five centurions in a match in a losing cause. Rishabh Pant scored a century in each inning, and captain Shubman Gill and openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul compiled tons, but it was all in vain. Accordingly, Gill becomes the captain, but he, too, ends up on losing side, in his first Test as captain.
TOSS-
England won the toss and opted to bowl first .
PLAYING XI-
England Squad:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Sam Hain, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Will Jacks, Jake Ball, Shoaib Bashir.
India Squad:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
DAY-1
Jaiswal and Rahul grafted well in a near-perfect session for India but Rahul played one cover drive too many and nicked to first slip with minutes to go for the Lunch break to depart, ending a 91-run stand. Carse’s break provided England a much needed fillip as debutant Sai Sudharsan walked in to partner Jaiswal, who was well into the forties by now. But Sudharsan had a forgettable debut as he hoked a catch down the legside off Stokes to give away his wicket without scoring. That double strike meant England snatched it back in the nick of time in the first session.
But after the break, Jaiswal found better support in Gill. The latter returned with a fresh game plan to address the movement, and he opted to step outside his crease to counter the swing. And it enhanced his fluency in the early part of his innings. There were to be no such boundaries for Gill as he made England pace up and down. It took him a mere 56 balls to get to his half-century – his fastest in Test cricket. It provided Jaiswal with the scope to build steadily. The southpaw was not completely out of trouble, troubled by a few short balls in the second half of the innings. But Jaiswal, still, was quick to keep hitting back, with whatever was in his zone.
He fought cramps on his right hand on the way to the ton but overcame it to get there in 144 balls and soldiering through a wicketless second session with Gill. But on resumption Jaiswal fell cheaply to Stokes, who bowled him for 101, breaking a 129-run partnership. Pant, batting next, stepped out second ball to drive Stokes over his head to the fence to get off the mark. But that rhythm was stymied as Gill chugged along with his own fluency all the same. He cruised to his sixth Test ton with more balls left than he ever had in any of the previous five. It was also his his first Test century outside Asia and he became the seventh Indian captain to register a century in their opening innings as captain. Keeping him company in India’s revelry was the vice-captain Pant, as his ‘fifty’ and 3000 Test runs coincided with an upper-edging slog that went for a boundary.
With Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring a century in just his first Test innings in England, and Shubman Gill getting his first ton as India’s Test captain, India batted well on the opening day at Headingley. If it was Jaiswal powering India in the first part, the baton was handed over in the second where Gill took center stage with an unbeaten 127. India’s batters together earned them the spoils of the first day, 359/3 at stumps, putting a hold on any questions about the new future.
DAY-2
India had promised more with Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant picking up where they left off the previous day on 359/3. With the cushion of the base that India had already secured, Pant was given the license to break free. The pitch or the surrounds didn’t get much square and so, there was more freedom for both batters to play some more free-strokeplay. Gill started the proceedings with a glorious off drive in just the second over of the day but Pant was not too far behind. His first three fours all came against Brydon Carse, and he started to accelerate as the offspinner Shoaib Bashir was introduced into the attack. He welcomed him with a paddle for four and smashed him over midwicket for six in the same over. That brought him into the 90’s.
The hundred arrived with another swept six off Bashir to bring up a stylish hundred, and a somersault to celebrate. Another half-dozen followed in the same over and in teasing the long off fielder for a while before he propelled it over while running back. But it was an indication of Pant’s strategy, too, in changing gears with India also going past the 400-run mark. Gill had been sailing towards the 150 landmark but, three runs short of the milestone, he miscued a slog-sweep off Bashir and was caught at deep square leg. It brought an end to a scintillating 209-run partnership for the fourth wicket. And one became two when comeback man Karun Nair went for a blob after Ollie Pope leapt at short cover to pouch the chance off ball-of-the-over Stokes.
The second session had been lost to rain but prior to that England went about the simple business that remained in seeing off India’s tail. Josh Tongue took the remaining three wickets of the innings soon after the lunch interval to maintain England’s fightback with the ball prior to the break. The first session itself had been a story of two halves. India negotiated better batting conditions to get to 53 for no loss by the end of the first hour but slipped in the second, losing four for 42 to give England a sniff.
England’s early start with the bat had run into a speed breaker when Crawley was dismissed by a peach of a delivery that found the edge and was pouched at first slip, Bumrah the bowler. Bumrah remained menacing throughout his five-over spell, had a couple of close chances against Ben Duckett, both times gully fielders – first Yashasiv Jaiswal and then Ravindra Jadeja – grassing chances. Even as he hit his stride, India could not establish such control at the other end. Mohammad Siraj had been hit for 23 from his first four overs and his replacement Prasidh Krishna went at 6.40 as Duckett and Pope tore away.
A dominant day with the bat by India was followed by England dragging themselves back into the game, ending the day even despite a deficit behind of 265. Ollie Pope made his second consecutive Test century, taking England’s response past 400 after India posted 471. For the visitors, however, despite three centurions in the innings, it came apart in a rush. At 430/3, at one point, India lost their last seven wickets for 41 to be bowled out for 471 – the lowest that any side has ever been bowled out in Test cricket after their top-three scored hundreds. On top of that, the England batting turned up to its reputation and ensured that India wouldn’t have it easy.
DAY-3
Earlier in the first session, India had got a couple of wickets and for a change it was not Bumrah who did the job. But England slowly began ticking along, with Brook and his handy ninth-wicket partnerships with Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith, as England added 118 runs to their total in the 28 overs bowled in the session. Prasidh found the going rather difficult as he was hit for a four and a six by Brook after getting the scalp of Pope. A half-century partnership followed between Stokes and Brook before the England captain’s prod at a Mohammed Siraj delivery outside off was taken by the ‘keeper.
India’s catching, though, remained a problem for them as it was on the first day. Although Jadeja received some help from the pitch, he was not backed enough on the field. Pant dropped a catch off Brook and Sudharsan at short leg failed to hold on to a difficult chance to give Smith a life while Smith scored only eight before being dismissed. Brook then went on to score his fifty and his partnership with Smith was also in half-century at Lunch.
Woakes held up Brook while they added 49 at under a run a ball. But the stand came to a crushing end when Brook, on 99, was lured into a pull by Prasidh and was caught in the deep. A 55-run partnership between Woakes and Carse only increased India’s frustration as England reduced the deficit. Siraj was not at his best and Prasidh was hit for two sixes in an over by Woakes. Siraj eventually got some respite when Carse backed away to a yorker and was bowled. Bumrah had Woakes and Tongue bowled to take the last two wickets to complete his 14th five-for but by then England had already wiped off the lead, and brought the deficit down to 6, wiping off any advantage that India would have hoped for.
A heavy gush of wind greeted the Indian openers when they started their second innings with a light drizzle joining them for good luck. Jaiswal smashed an early boundary, hoisting Brydon Carse while Rahul almost chopped a Chris Woakes delivery onto the stumps. But he was in charge again when he carved one through the off side and stroked a classy cover drive for two fours off Woakes. But the opening partnership did not last long as Jaiswal was stumped in similar fashion, getting a faint touch to a Carse delivery that moved away after pitching on short of length. Sudharsan, on a brace, opened his account with a streaky four to third-man in the same over.
Soon after a half-century stand had been raised, Sudharsan was dropped by Ben Duckett at backward point off Tongue when cutting, he was unable to capitalize. Rahul, however, executed a classy cover drive to open his account off Tongue and Sudharsan clipped Stokes for a four. But the flick shot would prove to be his undoing 20 minutes later after Stokes, who was targeting the pads with the ball swinging in, had Sudharsan caught at short midwicket. Shubman Gill found his groove off the bat pretty quickly, cutting one over thirdman off Stokes for a four and was not out when the players went back after rain began to come down slightly harder.
DAY-4
England, with Brydon Carse, again had drawn the first ball after it was sent down by Shoaib Bashir in the final over of the previous day. the ball came back in from a good length and pitched to take Gill’s inside-edge with a loud clatter into the stumps. Perhaps a wicket or two more there might have put India under a bit of pressure, but Pant came down the track to mere his second ball and smacked one past Chris Woakes. At the other end, Rahul registered his maiden half-century of the series.
Batting on 45 off 81 at one point, Pant struck 27 off the next 11 balls he faced, flicking the switch that forced England on the backfoot. Down the other end, the serene Rahul still continued to take his time on a docile track before moving to a splendid hundred. Pant raced well past the nineties but then, uncharacteristically, took the time to make this one a special one. No hurry for that landmark, as he dawdled from 95 to 100 in 22 balls, to become only the second wicketkeeper in history to score centuries in both innings of a Test, after Andy Flower.
As soon as he reached three figures, though, Pant laid into Root with three fours and a six in one over. The fun eventually stopped when another heave to clear the ropes didn’t come off, and Pant found the fielder on long on to gift Bashir his first wicket.
After a duck in his comeback innings, Karun Nair raised his first runs of the series with a trademark reverse sweep just before Tea to nudge India’s lead further past 300. But England made a stunning comeback at the other side of it with the second new ball. Rahul was the first to go, the extra bounce as he prepared to cut a short ball from Carse ending his brilliant anchoring innings. The ball pitched on the inside edge, and knocked the stumps down with Rahul 13 runs short of a 150.
Woakes had been a thorn in Nair’s wrist in one of managing to trouble him reasonably well with the new pill finally had his man in a soft dismissal – caught and bowled off his follow through with the batsman standing there in disbelief. Tongue was in on the act soon afterwards and ripped out three in four balls in his second over with the new ball. Attempting a booming drive, Shardul Thakur nicked the very first ball to Joe Root at first slip, who thus became the joint highest catcher in Test cricket alongside Rahul Dravid. Mohammad Siraj made 0 and Jasprit Bumrah 0, and by the time a rare triple-wicket maiden concluded, at that, India had slid to 349 for 9. Prasidh Krishna, India’s no. 11, also managed a duck but stuck around long enough for Ravindra Jadeja to add 15 vital runs to India’s total and give the home side a target of 371.
England would have 29 minutes of the half-hour extension to negotiate before Stumps, and they did so convincingly – not taking any risks or seeming in any sort of trouble. Then Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley added 21 for the unbroken opening stand as England went to stumps needing 350 more for an early advantage in the five-match series.
DAY-5
But the chase, in fact, was set up by a brisk opening partnership that made light of the target. They started the day cautiously against the Indian pace trio. Prasidh tightened his line to Duckett, to a fifth-stump one - much fuller too, trying hard to get him to drive, but kept carrying the shoulder of the bat. After drinks, England went through the gears quickly. Duckett picked up anything that was short fed to him by Prasidh like a schoolboy, and Crawley joined in with a cover drive to Thakur which was not in control. The tall opener completed 100-run partnership just near the Lunch.
England did manage to accumulate 152 runs in the elongated second session — rain intervened — but that was at the cost of four wickets. The openers again managed to weather the early storm by the Indian bowlers before the runs returned again back. Crawley greeted Bumrah with elegant on-drives to race past 50. His partner, Duckett eased to 94 with consecutive reverse-sweeps off Jadeja but the nervous nineties nearly claimed him in the next over. He could not grab a pull off Siraj but Yashasvi Jaiswal spilled another as the opener put down his fourth chance of the match. Another reverse-sweep took the southpaw to his sixth Test ton before the rain arrived.
Coming back after the interval, India had renewed vigour in the game as Prasidh, first had Crawley nick one to first slip and then cleaned up Ollie Pope (8). Prasidh finally pitched the ball up, and on both occasions it spoke. One run away from 150, Duckett chanced his arm to play an uppish cover drive and was taken at short midwicket by Nitish Reddy off Thakur before Brook gloved the next delivery down the legside as the tourists eyeing only a sniff were killed off by a clinical Root who spearheaded the back-end of a famous chase.end of a famous chase.
Root executed his trademark cover-drive for four off Prasidh, Jamie Smith smacked a pretty back-foot punch off the same bowler to the fence. The latter then took charge with another charge against Jadeja as England needed just under 50 more. Root reached fifty when India had to take the first new-ball, with a boundary through gully and although Smith ended the match in the next over with a four and two sixes off Jadeja, the hosts had their famous win.
Brief scores:
India 471 (Shubman Gill 147, Rishabh Pant 134, Yashasvi Jaiswal 101; Ben Stokes 4/66, Josh Tongue 4/86) & 364 (KL Rahul 137, Rishabh Pant 118; Brydon Carse 3/80, Josh Tongue 3/72) lost to England 465 (Ollie Pope 106, Harry Brook 99; Jasprit Bumrah 5/83, Prasidh Krishna 3/128) & 373/5 (Ben Duckett 149, Zak Crawley 65; Shardul Thakur 2/51, Prasidh Krishna 2/92) by five wickets.