Duckett-Crawley Century Stand Puts IND Under The Pump, ENG 117/0 At Lunch
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Chasing a challenging target of 371 for victory, England were 117/0 at lunch break with Ben Duckett unbeaten on 64 and Zak Crawley batting on 42.
Indian bowlers' attempts to secure an early advantage were thwarted by Ben Duckett's resilient unbeaten fifty, as England reached 117 without loss by lunch on the final day of the first Test on Tuesday.
Chasing a challenging target of 371 for victory, England were led by Duckett (64*) and Zak Crawley (42*) at the break, with the hosts still needing 254 runs to win.
Apart from Bumrah, the other Indian pacers — Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul Thakur — were inconsistent and conceded many easy runs, which the England batters were eager to exploit.
Bumrah provided the Indian bowling unit's best moment when he outfoxed Duckett with a beautiful off-cutter.
However, the secondary pacers failed to create any significant moments of their own and appeared ordinary.
Duckett and Crawley, who have together scored over 2000 runs as Test openers, capitalised on anything short or full, playing cuts, pulls, and drives as England's innings gathered momentum, adding 96 runs in the first session after resuming at 21 without loss overnight.
The home batters' strategy was clear — play out Bumrah with minimal risk and apply pressure on the other Indian quicks.
Duckett led this approach and his cover drive off Prasidh was arguably the shot of the morning.
The support pacers struggled with their lengths, prompting bowling coach Morne Morkel to come out and speak to them from the boundary.
Meanwhile, Crawley supported Duckett well, standing a foot outside the crease to counteract swing and playing with a straight bat.
Bumrah nearly dismissed him on 42, but could not secure a return catch despite a desperate dive.
Ravindra Jadeja was introduced to change the pace of the game, but the Headingley pitch, which had been rolled with the heavy roller, did not provide him with the desired turn or bounce.
India will need to find better lines and lengths in the second session, with the troubling memories of England chasing down 378 at Birmingham three years ago resurfacing.
First Published:
June 24, 2025, 18:13 IST
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