England Defy India At Headingley
Headingley lived up to its reputation of churning out thrillers and added another one to its exceptional repertoire. The India vs England Test went down to the wire, as England defied India on a gripping Day 5, and seized a famous victory.
Smart Cricket From Duckett & Crawley
Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley played an exceptional knock together and effectively pushed India out of the game. Resuming at 21/0 on Day 5, both batters held sway, saw out Bumrah and Siraj in the first hour and then capitalised.
Bumrah & Siraj Bowl Well But England Hold Sway
Siraj in particular bowled with great heart and intent but was unlucky to go wicketless. Jaiswal dropping another. Bumrah kept things in check and troubled the English batters of and on, but Duckett and Crawley were stoic in defense and with no demons in the pitch, England grabbed the advantage.
Duckett – Crawley And A Great Partnership
A record-breaking partnership of 188 between Duckett and Crawley put England ahead in the game and though Prasidh Krishna got Crawley and Ollie Pope in quick succession, it was always going to be a tall order for India on an almost benign pitch.
Sensational Duckett
Ben Duckett was a revelation as he attacked all and sundry. A defensive Jadeja was taken to the cleaners by Duckett as he reverse swept with aplomb. Duckett was an exhibition of skill and temperament. His 149 will go down as one of the best knocks witnessed at Headingley in a stiff chase.
India Gets a Toe End
Shardul Thakur was gifted two wickets in two balls as Duckett and Harry Brook departed on successive deliveries to open a tiny window for India. With more than 100 runs to get with 6 wickets in hand, it was still anybody’s game, though England with their depth in batting fancied their chances of hunting down the target.
Stokes Departs Too, But…
A clueless Ben Stokes kept on reverse sweeping in an ugly manner to Jadeja, who kept bowling in the rough to extract prodigious turn and bounce. The inevitable was on the cards and Ben Stokes perished playing the reverse sweep, but not before he had added vital 49 runs with Joe Root.
… Root Stays Cool
Root, the no. 1 Test Batter in the world brought calm and serenity to the proceedings as he held one end up and absorbed the pressure like a piece of fresh sponge. He hardly looked worried and along with the very impressive Jamie Smith slowly began knocking off the runs.
India Leave It Too Late As Root & Smith Romp Home
To get to the new ball, Gill rested Bumrah and Siraj, and kept bowling Shardul Thakur and Jadeja in tandem. It was easy for Root and Smith as they brought down the target to just 21 runs when India took the new ball. Bumrah was going to be the last throw of the dice, which unfortunately never came. Siraj bowled the first over with the new ball, but Bumrah never arrived. It was all over as Smith smashed Jadeja for a four and two sixes to beat India on a pulsating day.
Poor Catching & An Inept Tail Make India Pay
Several catches dropped, a toothless tail and barring Bumrah a wayward bowling attack, cost India dear and despite 5 centuries amongst four batters, India still found itself on the losing side. Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur had a very disappointing outing. Siraj bowled well in the second essay but he too was not good enough when it really mattered. Bumrah was sensational in the first innings but went wicketless in the second.
Some Introspection Required For India
India had their chances to put England away, but a tenacious England kept coming back and eventually pipped India to the post. India will have to introspect and may be ring in a few changes going into Edgbaston.
The Series has begun with a cracker of a game and is expected to be this way all through.
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