IND vs ENG: England chased down 371 to win first Test against India in Leeds

England’s Bazballers once again pulled off a major heist against India as they successfully chased down a massive target of 371 on Day 5 of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. Led by a sensational innings from Ben Duckett (149), England took 82 overs to chase down the massive target, scoring at a run rate of 4.54.

It was the second-highest successful run chase for the Three Lions in Tests. Coincidentally, England’s highest chase also came against India back in 2022. Fresh under the leadership of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, England completed their fourth consecutive fourth innings run chase.

Joe Root (142*) and Jonny Bairstow (114*) starred with the bat for the hosts as their unbeaten stand of 269* (316) helped their team complete the massive run chase of 378 at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

In Headingley, England were once again successful in taking down the Indian bowling, which relied heavily on Jasprit Bumrah. However, much to



everyone’s surprise, the Indian pace spearhead remained wicket-less in 19 overs, giving away 57 runs.

England began the day on 21/0 with both openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett at the crease. The duo extended their partnership to 188, making full use of the fielding lapses from India. Duckett went on to play a magnificent 149 (170) with the help of 21 fours and a six. He was well supported by Crawley who scored 65 with the help of seven boundaries.

India managed to get a sniff back into the game as Prasidh Krishna dismissed Crawley and Ollie Pope (8) in quick succession. However, Duckett continued to put India under pressure with his aggressive strokeplay and brought them within touching distance of a win.

Shardul Thakur’s double strike once again gave India a glimmer of hope as he removed Duckett and Harry Brook (0) in consecutive deliveries. However, contributions from Joe Root (53*), Ben Stokes (33) and Jamie Smith (44*) took England home without any trouble.