India vs England, First Test: England chase down 371 in 82 overs at Headingley; take 1-0 lead

England scripted a remarkable run-chase on the fifth day of the first Test match against India at Headingley. Ben Stokes and Co. chased down a mammoth target of 371 in 82 overs, with 352 being scored on the final day. It wasn’t a Test match for India to cherish a lot as far as fielding was concerned. Besides, inexperience was evident in both batting and bowling departments but this young Indian team fought hard till the last session of the final day of the Test. 

England win the opening Test by 5 wickets in Headingley#TeamIndia will aim to bounce back in the 2nd Test

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/CuzAEnBkyu#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/9YcrXACbHn

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 24, 2025

England needed 350 on the last day against India at Headingley and they chased it down in 76 overs. India’s bowling was sub-par, though the conditions didn’t help their cause, much. Jasprit Bumrah, who picked a five-wicket haul in the first innings, went wicketless in the second innings. Siraj bowled better than how he did in the first innings but he didn’t get any wicket, either. 

No wicket for India in the first session

England were unscathed at 21/0 at the end of day 4 and applied caution for the first seven overs on day five. Only 15 runs came off the first seven overs bowled by Bumrah and Siraj but Ben Duckett switched gears once Prasidh Krishna and Shardul took the ball. There was hardly any swing on offer for the bowlers and just a little deviation off the seam. England didn’t lose a single wicket in the first session and put almost every bad ball to the boundary rope. Zack Crawley struggled a bit initially but it was Ben Duckett, who looked to score a boundary in almost every over. 

The southpaw smashed Prasidh Krishna through covers on the off-side and when it was slightly short, he pulled it wide off mid-on to perfection. The one coming into him on the middle leg was respected but if there was a slight width, Duckett capitalized on that. The duo added 96 runs in just 24 overs at the end of the first session, scoring four runs an over just what they needed at that stage. 

India picked four wickets at the end of second session

England openers picked up the pace after Lunch with Duckett being the more dominant one. He took a liking at Ravindra Jadeja, playing eye-catching reverse sweeps for fun. Runs kept coming and India desperately needed a wicket. Siraj created a chance in the 39th over as a top-edge pull from Duckett was dropped by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had a miserable Test on the field. Well, that wasn’t the only chance getting dropped; the fielding did let them down. 

Duckett reached his sixth Test century with another reverse sweep off Jadeja, leaving the visitors clueless. Rain helped India, eventually, giving them the time to rethink their strategy. That brief interruption saw India coming back into the game. Prasidh Krishna had Crawley edge one to the slip cordon and also sent Ollie Pope back. But India needed Ben Duckett’s wicket who was set and hitting the boundaries for fun. And, it was Shardul Thakur, the man with the golden arm, who came to the rescue. 

Just a few overs before Tea, he got two back-to-back wickets in consecutive deliveries. Shardul sent Duckett (149) and Harry Brook (0) in successive deliveries and England were now four wickets down for 266 runs with one session left to be played. 

Joe Root cruised England home with five wickets left 

Ben Stokes and Joe Root stitched a pretty good partnership and looked like they might finish the game early. But a mistimed reverse sweep from Stokes off Jadeja once again left India hoping. 

But England were untroubled thereafter. Joe Root, the master- absorbed the pressure wonderfully and along with Jamie Smith stitched an unbeaten 71-run partnership for the fifth wicket. The duo saw England home and took the lead 1-0. Root played a fine unbeaten knock of 53 off 84, helping England win the game by five wickets.