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LEEDS: Ben Duckett’s sublime knock and Joe Root’s composed half-century sealed a thrilling win for England over India in the opening Test of the five-match series here at the iconic Headingley on Tuesday.
Chasing a daunting 371-run target on day five, England hit the winning runs on the loss of five wickets, with Joe Root remaining not out on 53 runs, while Jamie Smith contributed an unbeaten 44 runs.
The victory marked the second-highest run chase at Headingley, surpassing the previous record of 362-2 against Australia in the 2019 Ashes.
England started the final day’s proceedings with 21-0, requiring another 350 runs to secure a memorable victory against India.
The opening pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett batted superbly for a record 188-run stand. Both batters dominated the Indian bowlers, as the visitors put on a poor fielding display.
Ben Duckett, who scored a sublime century, broke the record for the highest runs against India in the fourth innings of a Test match. Previously, Joe Root had held the record with an unbeaten 142* at Edgbaston in 2022.
With the mammoth stand, England were in command of a daunting 371-run chase despite wickets falling in a heap. Crawley and Duckett successfully held off the Indian bowlers until lunch, scoring quickly as the home side reduced the target.
However, India pacer Prasidh Krishna brought the visitors back into the game with back-to-back wickets in a short period.
Krishna first removed Zak Crawley, who made 65 off 126 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries. In the span of only two balls, he also sent back Ollie Pope, reducing England to 206-2.
With England requiring 188 more runs, Shardul Thakur dismissed Ben Duckett and Harry Brook on back-to-back deliveries. Duckett, who made 149, was caught while Brook was sent back for a golden duck.
At tea, England were 269 for 4, needing 102 more runs. Ben Stokes (13) and Joe Root (14) remained not out, with India searching for more wickets.
For India, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur claimed two wickets each while Ravindra Jadeja picked up one wicket.
Earlier, India were bundled out for 364 runs in their second innings with England triggering a lower-order collapse.
READ: Ben Duckett shatters multiple records with century against India
