England rally after Pant heroics to set up thrilling finish in first Test

Rishabh Pant became the first India batsman to score hundreds in both innings of a Test against England before the hosts hit back to leave themselves 371 to win the series opener at Headingley on Monday.

England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett survived a potentially tricky six-over spell to take England to 21-0 at stumps, with the hosts now needing a further 350 runs to go 1-0 up in this five-match series.

Swashbuckling wicketkeeper Pant, who made 134 in the first innings, completed a 130-ball century, including 13 fours and two sixes on the fourth afternoon before falling for 118.

Pant’s dismissal ended a stand of 195 with KL Rahul that started with the match in the balance when India were 92-3 in their second innings.

Rahul went on to make 137 but from the relative safety of 333-4, India lost their last six wickets for 31 runs as they slumped to 364 all out, with fast bowler Josh Tongue doing the bulk of the damage in a burst of three wickets in four balls.

India also collapsed in the first innings. Despite hundreds from captain Shubman Gill, Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, they were dismissed for 471 after losing their last seven wickets for 41 runs.

The outstanding Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, took five wickets in England’s first-innings 465 and will be the danger man for the tourists in the decisive final innings of the match.

However, England reached a target of 378 -- their record successful fourth-innings chase in Test cricket -- against a Bumrah-led India attack at Edgbaston three years ago.

If England do make 371, it will be the second-highest winning fourth-innings chase in a Test at Headingley, surpassing the 362-9 they made against Australia in 2019 when captain Ben Stokes sealed a dramatic Ashes win with an unbeaten century.

Pant is just the second wicketkeeper in Test history to score hundreds in both innings of the same match following Andy Flower’s scores of 142 and 199 not out for Zimbabwe against South Africa in 2001.

After a morning session in which India skipper Gill was the only batsman dismissed, Rahul and Pant upped the tempo in their contrasting styles.

Pant completed an 83-ball fifty before driving Shoaib Bashir for two soaring sixes in three balls.

Rahul took 202 balls to reach his century, featuring 13 fours, with a trademark cover-drive -- his ninth hundred in 59 Tests.

Pant, severely injured in a life-threatening car crash in December 2022, was stuck in the 90s before a quick single took him to a 130-ball century featuring 13 fours and two sixes.

India great Sunil Gavaskar, watching from the stands, encouraged Pant to mark this century with the familiar somersault with which he had marked his first-innings hundred, but this time Pant celebrated in more conventional style.

Rahul eventually played on to Brydon Carse before Tongue dismissed Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj with successive deliveries.

Bumrah survived the hat-trick but was bowled next ball by Tongue with Prasidh Krishna out for a duck as well when he holed out off Bashir to end the innings.

Archer makes red-ball comeback: Jofra Archer made his first appearance in a first-class match in four years on Sunday in the County Championship as the 30-year-old quick continues his comeback from a spate of injuries and looks to play himself into a spot in the England test squad.

Archer, who has taken 42 wickets in 13 tests, has not represented England in the longest format since February 2021 as his career stalled due to fitness problems including elbow injuries and back issues that sidelined him for long periods.

His latest setback came only last month when a thumb injury ruled him out of the one-day international series against West Indies.

National team selector Luke Wright said last month that Archer could be in contention to play in England’s second test against India at Birmingham from July 2 and captain Ben Stokes has been left in no doubt about the bowler’s desire to return.

“He’s been absolutely desperate to put the white shirt back on,” said Stokes last Thursday ahead of the first test.

“He’s had a torrid run with injuries, but he’s managed a fair bit of white-ball cricket recently.

“The fact that we can now put a structure in place for his red-ball return is a great sign.”

Batting at number 10, Archer scored 31 off 34 balls against Durham to help Sussex reach 322-9 at stumps on Sunday and he is likely to bowl later on Monday.

Agence France-Presse

India 1st Innings 471 (S Gill 147, R Pant 134, Y Jaiswal 101; B Stokes 4-66, J Tongue 4-86)

England 1st Innings 465 (O Pope 106, H Brook 99; J Bumrah 5-83, P Krishna 3-128)

India 2nd Innings (overnight: 90-2)

KL Rahul b Carse137

S. Gill b Carse8

R. Pant c Crawley b Bashir118

K. Nair c and b Woakes20

R. Jadeja not out 25

S. Thakur c Root b Tongue4

M. Siraj c Smith b Tongue0

J. Bumrah b Tongue0

P. Krishna c Tongue b Bashir0

Extras (b5, lb4, nb6, w3)18

Total (all out, 96 overs, 444 mins)364

Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Jaiswal), 2-82 (Sudharsan), 3-92 (Gill), 4-287 (Pant), 5-33 (Rahul), 6-335 (Nair), 7-349 (Thakur), 8-349 (Siraj), 9-349 (Bumrah), 10-364 (Krishna)

Bowling: Woakes 19-4-45-1 (1nb); Carse 19-2-80-3 (2nb, 1w); Tongue 18-2-72-3 (1nb, 2w); Bashir 22-1-90-2 ; Stokes 15-2-47-1 (2nb); Root 3-0-21-0

England 2nd Innings (target 371)

Z. Crawley not out12

B. Duckett not out9

Extras0

Total (0 wkts, 6 overs, 30 mins)21

To bat: O Pope, J Root, H Brook, B Stokes, J Smith, C Woakes, B Carse, J Tongue, S Bashir

Bowling: Bumrah 3-0-9-0; Siraj 2-1-9-0; Jadeja 1-0-3-0