Duckett ton powers England to exhilarating victory over India

Ben Duckett’s superb 149 laid the foundation for a record-breaking England win as they beat India by five wickets in a dramatic first Test at Headingley on Tuesday.

Victory meant England became the first team to concede five individual hundreds in a first-class game — a span of more than 60,000 matches — and still win.

England, set 371 to win, finished on 373-5 in the last session of the fifth day as they went 1-0 up in a five-match series.

Jamie Smith (44 not out) stayed true to the aggressive ‘Bazball’ style that has seen England make light of several stiff run-chases with a six off spinner Ravindra Jadeja for the winning runs.

Joe Root was 53 not out on his Yorkshire home ground after opener Duckett had launched the pursuit in style during an impressive first-wicket stand of 188 with Zak Crawley (65).

India’s attack was led by Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s number one-ranked Test bowler but, remarkably, the paceman failed to take a wicket in the second innings following his 5-83 earlier in the game.

England’s win was their second highest fourth-innings chase to win a Test, behind the 378 they made against India at Edgbaston three years ago when Root hit an unbeaten century, against an attack featuring Bumrah.

This result condemned Shubman Gill, who scored a first-innings century, to defeat in his first match as India captain.

India piled up 835 runs in the match, with Rishabh Pant (134 and 118) only the second wicket-keeper to score hundreds in both innings of a Test.

Only three times in Test history has a team made more runs in a Test and lost, with collapses of 7-41 and 6-31 at end of each innings proving costly for India in Leeds.

The match was still in the balance in the final session. With England 253-4, needing a further 118 to win, skipper Ben Stokes joined Root after Shardul Thakur took two wickets in two balls including the prize scalp of Duckett.

The experienced duo shared a fifty partnership before Stokes top-edged a reverse-sweep off Jadeja that looped gently to Gill at short third man.

Root’s poise and a late flurry of power from Smith carried the hosts home with five wickets to spare.

Prasidh Krishna, in only his fourth Test, had previously struck twice in quick succession to leave England 206-2 following a superb opening stand between Duckett and Crawley as they withstood a stern test from Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

After a 20-minute stoppage for rain in the afternoon, India broke through when Crawley edged paceman Krishna to KL Rahul at first slip.

Crawley’s exit brought in Ollie Pope, who made 106 in the first innings, but he was bowled for eight by Krishna.

Duckett continued his assault with a remarkable reverse sweep for six off Jadeja.

But he was fortunate to complete his sixth hundred in 34 Tests. Duckett was on 97 when he top-edged a pull off Siraj only for Yashasvi Jaiswal, running in from the boundary, to drop the catch to the bowler’s visible fury.

“Incredible, what a Test match. It was a huge number of runs and we have been lucky with the weather,” Duckett said.

“I am lost for words. We only had to look at the scoreboard to know that if we batted the overs, we would win the game. There were moments when I thought about stepping into another gear but the breaks in the game helped us to stay calm.

“To start this series with a 1-0 win is huge for us. It felt calm in the dressing room. To have Root out there, it’s pretty easy to be calm.”

Duckett’s impressive innings ended when he drove Thakur to short extra cover where substitute fielder Nitish Kumar Reddy, in a game of dropped chances, clung on to a sharp catch.

Next ball Harry Brook, out for 99 in the first innings, fell for a golden duck but the bulk of the work was already done as the cool heads of Root, Stokes and Smith steered England over the line.

“We had our chances,” India captain Shubman Gill said. “A few dropped catches and the lower order not contributing as much as we would like (cost us) but I am proud. Our young team is learning.

“It just didn’t go our way in this match. We have to rectify (the batting collapses) in the upcoming matches.”

Agencies