🏏India tour of England 2025: 1st Test: England vs India - Day 5🏏 - Page 74

The lead was just 6 and it reduced the game to a one-innings shootout. India rode on KL's and Pant's contrasting tons to make 364 in the 2nd dig. They were well-placed to bat England out of the game at 287/3 and then at 333/4 but again a collapse allowed England to make hay with the 2nd new-ball and take the last 6 wickets for just 31 runs - 3) Another chance allowed by India to let England come back. Chasing 371 in the last innings was still not going to be easy but a tremendous 149 from Duckett with help from the others saw England chase it down quite easily. The last day was totally one-sided apart from a few phases as England romped home.

India's inability to close out the escape routes for England allowed the hosts to stay in the game and on the last day, England did not allow the dangerman Bumrah to take a wicket - a large factor in that big chase. Also the pitch was a batting beauty all through the five days apart from the danger posed by the footmarks created for the spinners which saw it turn and bounce. Bumrah who took a fifer in the first innings, gave it his all and India should look at their fielding as it cost them heavily with so many drops, especially off Bumrah which if it had been taken, the result might well have been totally different. Not often do you see a team lose after scoring five tons in the game. India have suffered that fate here. So the first Test in the Gill era ends in a defeat. Stay tuned for the post-match stuff....

The chase of 371

second highest by England

second highest vs India

third in excess of 350 at Headingley, most at a single venue

Most runs scored by a team in a defeat

861 Eng vs Aus Headingley 1948

847 Pak vs Eng Rawalpindi 2022

837 NZ vs Eng Trent Bridge 2022

835 Ind vs Eng Headingley 2025

Three of the top four have come against England under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum era.

Will boom play test 2

Most individual 100s in a losing cause

5 Ind vs Eng Headingley 2025

4 Aus vs Eng Melbourne 1928/29

Ben Duckett, POTM: Just an incredible game, India were superb. To go into day 5, finish like we did was incredible. Wanted to get through last evening without losing wickets. It was clear this morning - if we batted through, we'd get home. 2022 was mentioned, I wasn't there. Guys in the dressing room believe. We've shown maturity throughout the day and shown how much it means to win. At times, we were behind this game. Massive credit to our bowlers who got the tail out cheaply. Else you'd add 50-60 to the target which would be a different game. We saw Crawley do well last game vs Zim, he played well and was calm. Respected good balls and put the bad ones away. Bumrah's world-class, he was superb in the first inns. To limit his impact was massive. We played him very well today. (Reverses vs Jadeja) Tough to play him with a straight bat, it's a shot I go to a lot. Sometimes to get to the other end, later in the innings for boundaries. At the start of the last partnership, it was a different game had they gotten a wicket, but Root there being calm kept us calm. Smith taking us home at the end was amazing.

Shubman Gill, India captain: A brilliant Test, we had our chances. Drop catches, lower not contributing cost us. Yesterday, we were thinking of giving them 430, but our last wickets fell for 25. Even today, I thought we had our chances after the brilliant first wicket. Didn't go to hand. We spoke about the first-inns collapse, happens, we have to rectify that going forward. Chances don't come easy on wickets like this, but we have a young team. Learning one. Hope to improve that. The first session, we bowled spot-on. Didn't give away runs, but it's hard to stop runs once it gets old. Have to keep taking wickets when the ball got soft. Jadeja bowled brilliantly, created chances, had a pop-up Rishabh didn't see. Happens. (Which games will Bumrah play?) It's decided game-by-game. Once we're close to the next game after a long break, we'll see.

Anirudh: "This is going to be a loooong series for India...."

Srini: "India should really be gutted with this loss. So many opportunities. So many mistakes. Sublime cricket balanced with village stuff. "