England Chase 371 in Historic Test Thriller

News Desk

Islamabad: Ben Duckett’s outstanding century powered England to a dramatic five-wicket victory over India in the opening Test, successfully chasing a target of 371 — the 10th highest successful run chase in Test history.

The match, played at Headingley, saw a remarkable turnaround after India had dominated early on, reaching 430-3 in their first innings. But England wrestled control on day five, with Duckett and Zak Crawley guiding them to a comfortable 117-0 at lunch.

Duckett continued his brilliant form, reaching his sixth Test century with a stylish cover drive. Crawley, who scored 65, shared a 188-run opening stand with Duckett — the second-highest fourth-innings opening partnership for England in Tests.

However, the game took a tense turn when India struck twice in two balls, dismissing both Duckett and Harry Brook. When Ben Stokes fell for 33 playing an ambitious reverse sweep, the match hung in the balance.

Joe Root steadied the innings with a composed 53*, and alongside Jamie Smith — who sealed the win with a six — saw England home in thrilling fashion. Despite scoring five centuries in the match, India ended up on the losing side as the five-match series began with a shock result.

“Incredible, what a Test match,” said Duckett. “We knew if we batted the overs, we could win. It was calm in the dressing room, especially with Root out there.”

England resumed day five on 21-0 and were uncharacteristically cautious early on, with Crawley and Duckett taking 99 balls to reach their 50-run partnership — their slowest together for England — before picking up the pace.

After Crawley’s dismissal, Ollie Pope — who had scored a century in the first innings — fell soon after to Prasidh Krishna. Duckett pressed on before holing out for 149, the second-highest fourth-innings score by an English opener, behind only Alastair Cook’s century at Mirpur in 2010.

India momentarily sparked hopes of a comeback when Brook was dismissed for a golden duck, making it two in two for Shardul Thakur. After tea, Stokes fell to Ravindra Jadeja, but Root and Smith showed composure to steer England to victory.

India’s defeat was sealed by a combination of dropped catches and two dramatic batting collapses. From 430-3, they lost seven wickets for just 41 runs in the first innings. The second innings saw another collapse, with their last six wickets falling for just 31 runs.

In a unique statistical twist, it was the first time in Test history that a team scored five centuries yet failed to win — and also the first time those five centurions were accompanied by six ducks in the same match.

“We had our chances,” said India captain Shubman Gill. “Some dropped catches and a lack of contribution from the lower order hurt us, but we’re a young team and we’ll learn. We need to address the collapses in the upcoming games.”

For England, with the Ashes looming later this year, the summer couldn’t have started better. Their attacking mindset — though more measured — delivered the second-highest successful chase in their Test history.