Shubman Gill’s first Test as India captain ended in a heartbreaking loss as England took a 1-0 series lead at Headingley, Leeds. Chasing 350 to win on the final day, Ben Duckett blasted 149 to help the hosts seal a comfortable 4-wicket win in the IND vs ENG 1st Test. Duckett’s blitzkrieg undid the work of Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah who chipped in with valiant efforts.
India thus became the first team to lose a Test match in which they had five centuries. Rishabh Pant scored one in each innings, while Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul chipped in with the rest. England had 2, with Ollie Pope’s hundred in the 1st innings followed by Duckett’s in the second. Harry Brook made 99. It was also the second successive home Test for England vs India where they chased down 350+. Ben Stokes and Co had chased down 378 at Edgbaston in 2022 with Bairstow and Root scoring hundreds. Here are the IND vs ENG 1st Test Highlights:
Dropped catches don’t win matches
India will look back at this defeat and feel it was very much self-inflicted. The Shubman Gill led side dropped 8 catches in the IND vs ENG 1s Test, the most in the last 5 years. Yashasvi Jaiswal was guilty of grassing 4 of those, making him the joint record holder for most drops by an Indian. Duckett was the luckiest, earning a reprieve thrice to plunder 64 and 149 in Headingley.
Calm Rishabh Pant breaks records
Rishabh Pant has been India’s crisis man in Test cricket for the past few years. He plundered records for fun in Leeds, becoming only the second wicket-keeper to score twin centuries in a Test. What was more impressive was Pant’s ability to soak pressure and show restraint, batting for long hours in both innings. That is despite his ultra aggressive mindset. The left-hander is a lynchpin in the Indian batting line up and a good tour is crucial for India’s chances of bouncing back in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
India’s top order shines, lower order crumbles
The retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli meant India walked in with a largely inexperienced batting line up for the India vs England series. However, those concerns were dispelled in a fine batting display. Yashasvi Jaiswal stroked a century on his first Test in England. Shubman Gill smashed his first overseas century in his first game as captain. KL Rahul made a ton in the 2nd innings, his 3rd in England.
And while India had 5 centuries, they had two major collapses. India slipped from 430/3 to 471 all out in the first innings. In the second innings, they were 333/4 before crumbling to 364 all out. On both occasions, the visitors had opportunity to bat England out of the contest. However, their last 5 batters could only add a combined 65 in both innings to see their downfall. In comparison, England’s lower order scored 189 to reduce India’s first innings lead to just 6 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah – India’s lone warrior
India’s bowling attack was lackluster at best allowing England to make their second highest chase of all time. Jasprit Bumrah was the lone warrior picking up 5/83 in England’s 465. The Indian spearhead lacked the necessary support from both Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna who were expensive. In the second innings, Bumrah looked worn out going wicketless in his 19 overs. Siraj and Krishna were better on the final day but the later still conceded in excess of 6.
Ben Duckett- Bazball’s chief basher
Nothing epitomizes Bazball more than Ben Duckett. In what is a big year for the philosophy, Duckett has made a dream start. The left-hander looked the most comfortable against Jasprit Bumrah, scoring a fluent 64 in the 1st innings. He went full blitzkrieg in the second, smashing a stunning 149 off just 170 to pin India to the floor. The 30-year-old is one of England’s all format stars and will be crucial to them trying to build on their 1-0 lead in the India vs England series.
Shubman Gill’s captaincy era begins
Shubman Gill’s captaincy era has begun in a similar way to Vira Kohli’s when he led India to a heartbreaking loss in Adelaide in 2013. Like Kohli, Gill stroked a scintillating century and a one was on the cards but slipped away on the final day. As a captain, the 25-year-old had a nervy game. He backed Bumrah with attacking fields but was often guilty of going defensive with the rest of the bowling attack. Dropped catches and wayward bowling did not help the debutant skipper but he would look to learn and improve quickly as India move to Birmingham.
