Duckett dazzles as England pulls off a famous win
Like a masterful slow-burn novel that would catch fire spectacularly towards the climax, the first England-India Test witnessed a blockbuster finish on Tuesday (June 24, 2025) as Ben Stokes and his men chased down a 371-run target with five wickets to spare and go 1-0 up in the series.
Day five at Headingley was supposed to be marred by rain but it ended under blue skies and a dash of late-evening sunshine. In this setting, talisman Joe Root shimmered, scoring 53 nerveless, unbeaten runs (84b, 6x4), and combining for an unbroken 71-run partnership with Jamie Smith (44 n.o., 55b, 4x4, 2x6) to hand India a chastening defeat that will lead to a lot of soul-searching.
England played a perfect day's cricket. Openers Zak Crawley (65, 126b, 7x4) and Ben Duckett (149, 170b, 21x4, 1x6) combined for an authoritative 188-run stand that spanned more than a session and a half. The manner in which the duo went about the task reflected some sound thinking.
When the morning started with gloomy weather and flood lights on, Indian fans could have be forgiven if they thought that Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj would be a handful. But Crawley and Duckett, despite facing a few unplayable deliveries, doused the fire. From the first eight overs of the day, only 20 runs were scored.
But once Shubman Gill rang in the bowling changes, like introducing Prasidh Krishna as first change, the English batters loosened up and scored at more than five an over. There was the odd half-chance — like the tough caught-and-bowled opportunity that Bumrah had to dismiss Crawley on 42 — but nothing more.
England went into lunch at 117 for no loss and burst back after the break with an extra spring in its step. Crawley and Duckett even started playing Bumrah easily, with the former picking up two beautiful fours off his legs.
Siraj did toil hard, but without luck, as an edge off Duckett went through the vacant first slip area and Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped the left-hander on 97 running in from deep backward square-leg.
Keeping Duckett silent proved beyond even the experienced Ravindra Jadeja.
The left-arm spinner bowled to loaded on-side fields (6-3) but the southpaw destroyed him with a slew of excellent reverse-sweeps, with one of those ending up as an astonishing six as well. He hit seven sweeps in all, including the one that brought him his sixth Test hundred.
However, a 20-minute rain-delay turned the tide. Prasidh, who was mostly profligate, pitched the ball up to Crawley and the batter edged to K.L. Rahul at slip. The lanky speedster then breached Ollie Pope's defence off the inside edge.
Duckett and Root provided stability with a 47-run stand, but Shardul Thakur struck gold with two seemingly harmless deliveries. Duckett drove a ball that came in like a loosener straight to substitute Nitish Kumar Reddy while Harry Brook, after charging at Shardul, ended up edging down the leg-side to Rishabh Pant first ball.
This was the only period when England appeared nervous, but it had two of its greatest cricketers in Root and Stokes (33, 51b, 4x4) as calming influences. The two — despite Stokes looking a tad unsettled — joined forces for a 49-run association before Root ensured a grandstand closing.
SCOREBOARD
INDIA — 1ST INNINGS
471 in 113 overs.
ENGLAND — 1ST INNINGS
465 in 100.4 overs.
INDIA — 2ND INNINGS
364 in 96 overs.
ENGLAND — 2ND INNINGS
(Target: 371)
Zak Crawley c Rahul b Prasidh 65 (126b, 7x4), Ben Duckett c sub (Nitish) b Shardul 149 (170b, 21x4, 1x6), Ollie Pope b Prasidh 8 (8b, 2x4), Joe Root (not out) 53 (84b, 6x4), Harry Brook c Pant b Shardul 0 (1b), Ben Stokes c Gill b Jadeja 33 (51b, 4x4), Jamie Smith (not out) 44 (55b, 4x4, 2x6); Extras (b-12, lb-6, nb-3): 21; Total (for five wkts. in 82 overs): 373.
FALL OF WICKETS
1-188 (Crawley, 42.2 overs), 2-206 (Pope, 44.4), 3-253 (Duckett, 54.3), 4-253 (Brook, 54.4), 5-302 (Stokes, 67.3).
INDIA BOWLING
Bumrah 19-3-57-0, Siraj 14-1-51-0, Jadeja 24-1-104-1, Prasidh 15-0-92-2, Shardul 10-0-51-2.
PoM: Duckett.
England won by five wickets to lead five-match series 1-0.
Second Test: July 2 to 6, Birmingham.
Match starts at 3.30 p.m. IST.
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