England's aggressive and fearless brand of Test cricket, informally known as Bazball, penned another chapter for the ages on Tuesday at Headingley.
In a thrilling climax, the hosts embarked on a gargantuan fourth-innings pursuit of 371 to register a breathtaking five-wicket win against India and establish a 1-0 advantage in the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
This pursuit now stands as England's second-highest in Test history and is the second-most productive run chase ever against India.
The groundwork for this record pursuit was laid by openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, who compiled a dominant 188-run partnership. Duckett was the pick of the bunch, playing a masterful 149 off only 170 balls, mixing sedate shot choice with spurts of aggression to keep India under perpetual pressure.
Crawley added a quick 65 before leaving, but the start partnership had already given the momentum strongly in England's direction. India momentarily clawed their way back in the match when Shardul Thakur took two wickets on two consecutive balls, reducing both Duckett and Harry Brook. But England's middle-order showed no further slips.
Local boy Joe Root held the innings together with a confident 53*, and debutant Jamie Smith, displaying nerves of steel, contributing an unbeaten 44. Their unbroken 71-run stand took England home, Smith blasting a six off Ravindra Jadeja to seal the chase in style.
For India, it was a game of lost opportunities and what-ifs. Even as they took command at various points, the lapses in implementation—especially in the field—cost them dearly. Dropped catches and wayward bowling let England remain in the contest.
India had begun well after deciding to bat, adding up to 471 in the first innings on the strength of a triple century haul—Shubman Gill (147), Rishabh Pant (134), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101). At 430 for 3, they seemed ready to register a score well over 550, but a dramatic collapse in the latter half caused the last seven wickets to fall for only 41 runs, giving England a significant early advantage.
England's middle and top order replied in kind. Brook's streaky but vital 99, Ollie Pope's elegant 106, and Duckett's 62 kept them in touching distance. Even when India took the 276/5, the lower order came out with a determined fightback, taking 189 runs off the rest of the wickets to reduce the deficit to six runs—virtually staging a one-innings shootout.
India's second innings saw another masterful Pant century (118) and a determined 137 by KL Rahul, with the two together scoring 195 runs for the fifth wicket. At 333/4, the visitors were in control. But old vulnerabilities crept in. A quick collapse to 364 all out—six wickets lost for a mere 31 runs—left the door ajar for England. Josh Tongue and Ben Stokes took advantage of the second new ball expertly, leading the collapse.
What ensued was historic. England's chase of 371 was the highest successful fourth-innings chase on the last scheduled day of a Test at Headingley since Don Bradman's Australians chased down 404 in 1948. This ground is now the lone venue to have seen three fourth-innings chases above 350—quite a platform for Test cricket masterpieces.
The match also made history by becoming just the third in history in which all four innings surpassed the 350-run mark.
India's bowling in the second innings was not biting. Bumrah, normally the leader of the attack, did not take a wicket. He was expensive, conceding runs at 6.28 per over in the first innings—the most expensive Indian Test bowler with 20+ overs. Thakur bowled with his heart and picked two wickets in the fourth innings, but he did not get regular support from the other end.
Finally, it was Root's calm—making his 66th Test fifty, the same number as his jersey—and the aggressive strokeplay of debutant Smith that got the jubilant Headingley crowd on their feet. Smith's winning blow, an uppercut slog-sweep over deep midwicket, sealed one of England's greatest Test victories in recent times.
Match Summary:
India: 471 & 364
England: 465 & 373/5 in 82 overs (Duckett 149, Crawley 65; Thakur 2-28, Krishna 2-69)
Result: England won by 5 wickets
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