Leeds, June 24, 2025: England pulled off one of their greatest run chases in Test history, hunting down a daunting 371-run target to defeat India by five wickets in the opening match of the five-Test series at Headingley on Tuesday. The win was spearheaded by a scintillating century from opener Ben Duckett.
Resuming their second innings at 21 without loss, openers Duckett and Zak Crawley laid a rock-solid foundation with a 188-run stand. Duckett was in imperious form, scoring 149 off 170 balls, laced with 21 fours and a six, while Crawley added a steady 65 off 126 deliveries.
India clawed back into the contest as Prasidh Krishna dismissed both Crawley and Ollie Pope in quick succession, reducing England to 206/2. Duckett and Joe Root responded with a 47-run partnership, but Shardul Thakur ignited India’s hopes by removing Duckett and Harry Brook off consecutive deliveries, leaving England at 253/4, still needing 118 runs.
Root and skipper Ben Stokes then put together a crucial 49-run stand before Stokes was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja for 33. Root (53* off 84 balls) and Jamie Smith (44* off 55) saw England home with an unbroken 71-run partnership, completing a famous victory and handing the hosts a 1-0 lead in the series.
For India, Thakur and Krishna picked up two wickets each, while Jadeja chipped in with one.
The win came after a thrilling see-saw battle across four days. India had earlier posted 471 in their first innings, powered by centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant. England responded strongly with 465, thanks to Ollie Pope’s century and Harry Brook’s 99.
India began their second innings with a slender six-run lead and went on to post 364, with KL Rahul and Pant once again leading the charge with brilliant centuries. Despite the imposing fourth-innings target of 371, England’s composed and aggressive batting dismantled India’s hopes of defending the total.
The second Test of the series is scheduled to begin on July 2 in Birmingham, where India will aim to level the series and regain momentum.
