Duckett stars as England stun India
Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley provided England a 188-run start chasing 371 against India at Leeds. Photo: AFP
Ben Duckett smashed a superb hundred while Joe Root hit an unbeaten half-century as England chased a massive 371-run target at Headingley on Tuesday.
Joe Root finished with 53 not out with wicketkeeper Jamie Smith unbeaten on 44 as England complete the record run-chase with five wickets to spare. This was England's second highest chase against India.
Krishna, in only his fourth Test, struck twice in quick succession to leave England 206-2 following a superb opening stand of 188 between Duckett and Zak Crawley (65).
And medium-pacer Thakur then took two wickets in two balls as Harry Brook followed the prize scalp of Duckett for 149, to leave England 253-4.
Play had continued through fine drizzle in the morning session as Duckett and Crawley withstood a stern test from star paceman Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
But after a 20-minute stoppage for rain, India finally broke through thanks to the inexperienced Krishna, who had 2-69 in 11 overs at tea.
One ball after pulling Krishna for four, Crawley edged a drive to first slip, where KL Rahul held a sharp catch.
Crawley's exit brought in Ollie Pope after the vice-captain top-scored with 106 in England's first-innings 465.
Pope, however, could only manage eight before he was bowled by a fine ball from Krishna that nipped back.
Duckett dropped
An undaunted Duckett continued his assault with a reverse sweep off Ravindra Jadeja for an extraordinary six.
But his impressive innings ended when he drove Thakur to short extra cover where substitute fielder Nitish Kumar Reddy, in a game of dropped chances, clung on to a sharp catch.
Next ball Harry Brook, out for 99 in England's first innings, saw a whip shot well caught down the legside by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
Stokes survived the hat-trick but the game is back in the balance.
Earlier, Duckett was fortunate to complete his sixth hundred in 34 Tests.
He had made 97 when he top-edged a pull off Siraj only for Yashasvi Jaiswal, running in from deep square leg, to drop the catch to the fast bowler's visible fury.
If England achieve their target, it will be just behind their record fourth-innings chase of 378 against India at Edgbaston three years ago.
It would also be the second-highest chase in a Test at Headingley, surpassing England's 362-9 against Australia in 2019 when Stokes' unbeaten century secured a stunning one-wicket Ashes win.
England resumed on 21-0, with both sides eyeing an early lead in the five-match series.
Crawley (12 not out) and Duckett (nine not out) were confronted with the daunting task of facing Bumrah, fresh from a five-wicket haul in the first innings, in overcast conditions.
Duckett went on the attack after lunch, on-driving Bumrah for a superb four, before a quick single took Crawley to a 111-ball fifty — the slowest of his England career but still hugely valuable.
Pant became only the second wicketkeeper to score two hundreds in a Test when he made 118 on Sunday to follow his first-innings 134.
But, despite five individual centuries in this match, India would have been in a stronger position had they not suffered collapses of 7-41 and 6-31 at the back end of each innings.
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LEEDS: A superb century from Ben Duckett helped steer England to a sensational five-wicket win in the first Test against India after a thrilling day five on Tuesday, the hosts reaching a target of 371 – the 10th highest successful run chase in Test history. Having turned the match on its head at Headingley after India had been 430-3 in their first innings, England appeared to be cruising to a dramatic win as openers Duckett and Zak Crawley eased their side to lunch on 117-0 in their second innings. Duckett continued his imperious form with another four through the covers to reach his sixth Test hundred, before Crawley fell for 65, their 188-run partnership the second highest England opening fourth-innings stand in Tests. Two wickets in two balls – Duckett and Harry Brook – dragged India back into the enthralling contest and when Ben Stokes fell for 33 attempting an ambitious reverse sweep, England's hopes of victory lay precariously in the balance. Joe Root's unbeaten 53 calmed the nerves around his home ground, with the former skipper and Jamie Smith, who hit a six to seal victory, seeing England home as India, having scored five centuries in the match, somehow contrived to start the five-Test series in defeat. 'Incredible, what a Test match. It was a huge number of runs and we have been lucky with the weather,' Duckett said. 'I am lost for words. 'We only had to look at the scoreboard to know that if we batted the overs, we would win the game. There were moments when I thought about stepping into another gear but the breaks in the game helped us to stay calm. 'To start this series with a 1-0 win is huge for us. It felt calm in the dressing room. To have Root out there, it's pretty easy to be calm.' Resuming day five on 21-0, uncharacteristically for a team renowned for their ultra-aggressive batting, Crawley and Duckett took 99 balls to bring up their 50 partnership – the longest it has taken the pair to do so for England – before upping the ante. There was slight concern for England when first-innings centurion Ollie Pope quickly followed Crawley back to the pavilion midway through the afternoon session, the number three becoming Prasidh Krishna's next victim in back-to-back overs. Duckett continued to accumulate runs quickly, however, before attempting one big shot too many to fall to Shardul Thakur for 149 – the second-highest Test fourth-innings score by an English opener. The contribution of Duckett, in such a pressurised situation, cannot be underestimated – it is 15 years since an England opener last scored a fourth-innings hundred: Alastair Cook at Mirpur in 2010. Nerves set in around the ground when Brook departed for a golden duck, two in two balls for Thakur, with further scares forthcoming as England looked edgy. Stokes was left shaking his head at the way he fell to Ravindra Jadeja shortly after tea, but Root and Smith both dug in, stopped offering up chances and got the runs required, with Smith rounding off a remarkable victory in style. India's Pant reprimanded for dissent in first Test Plenty of dropped catches and two batting collapses ultimately cost India. From 430-3 in the first innings, they lost their final seven wickets for just 41 runs, with the tail crumbling again in the second innings, 31 runs accumulated for the fall of the final six wickets. It is the first time in history a team has managed five centuries in one Test and not emerged victorious, but also the first time those five centurions have been joined by six batsmen who fell for ducks – three in each innings - in the same match. 'We had our chances,' India captain Shubman Gill said. 'A few dropped catches and the lower order not contributing as much as we would like (cost us) but I am proud. Our young team is learning. 'It just didn't go our way in this match. We have to rectify (the batting collapses) in the upcoming matches.' For England, at the start of a crucial period with the Ashes to come later this year, their summer could not have got off to a more promising start, with their aggressive approach, even if it has been toned down and refined, achieving their second highest run chase in their Test history.
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13 hours ago
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Duckett stars as England stun India
Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley provided England a 188-run start chasing 371 against India at Leeds. Photo: AFP Ben Duckett smashed a superb hundred while Joe Root hit an unbeaten half-century as England chased a massive 371-run target at Headingley on Tuesday. Joe Root finished with 53 not out with wicketkeeper Jamie Smith unbeaten on 44 as England complete the record run-chase with five wickets to spare. This was England's second highest chase against India. Krishna, in only his fourth Test, struck twice in quick succession to leave England 206-2 following a superb opening stand of 188 between Duckett and Zak Crawley (65). And medium-pacer Thakur then took two wickets in two balls as Harry Brook followed the prize scalp of Duckett for 149, to leave England 253-4. Play had continued through fine drizzle in the morning session as Duckett and Crawley withstood a stern test from star paceman Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. But after a 20-minute stoppage for rain, India finally broke through thanks to the inexperienced Krishna, who had 2-69 in 11 overs at tea. One ball after pulling Krishna for four, Crawley edged a drive to first slip, where KL Rahul held a sharp catch. Crawley's exit brought in Ollie Pope after the vice-captain top-scored with 106 in England's first-innings 465. Pope, however, could only manage eight before he was bowled by a fine ball from Krishna that nipped back. Duckett dropped An undaunted Duckett continued his assault with a reverse sweep off Ravindra Jadeja for an extraordinary six. But his impressive innings ended when he drove Thakur to short extra cover where substitute fielder Nitish Kumar Reddy, in a game of dropped chances, clung on to a sharp catch. Next ball Harry Brook, out for 99 in England's first innings, saw a whip shot well caught down the legside by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Stokes survived the hat-trick but the game is back in the balance. Earlier, Duckett was fortunate to complete his sixth hundred in 34 Tests. He had made 97 when he top-edged a pull off Siraj only for Yashasvi Jaiswal, running in from deep square leg, to drop the catch to the fast bowler's visible fury. If England achieve their target, it will be just behind their record fourth-innings chase of 378 against India at Edgbaston three years ago. It would also be the second-highest chase in a Test at Headingley, surpassing England's 362-9 against Australia in 2019 when Stokes' unbeaten century secured a stunning one-wicket Ashes win. England resumed on 21-0, with both sides eyeing an early lead in the five-match series. Crawley (12 not out) and Duckett (nine not out) were confronted with the daunting task of facing Bumrah, fresh from a five-wicket haul in the first innings, in overcast conditions. Duckett went on the attack after lunch, on-driving Bumrah for a superb four, before a quick single took Crawley to a 111-ball fifty — the slowest of his England career but still hugely valuable. Pant became only the second wicketkeeper to score two hundreds in a Test when he made 118 on Sunday to follow his first-innings 134. But, despite five individual centuries in this match, India would have been in a stronger position had they not suffered collapses of 7-41 and 6-31 at the back end of each innings.
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