Ben Duckett leads England's mammoth chase as Shubman Gill has tough start to Test captaincy

Ben Duckett led England's a mammoth chase of 371 runs to clinch the first Test by five wickets against India at Headingley, Leeds on Tuesday.

Needing 350 runs to win on the final day, England started positively with openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley adding 188 runs for the first wicket. The left-handed Duckett went on to score 149 runs off just 170 balls, including 21 fours and a six. Crawley, on the other hand played a measured knock of 65 runs. It Prasidh Krishna who broke the partnership for India and the tall pacer got the wicket of Ollie Pope in the following over.

However, Joe Root brought up his half century to keep England in the chase amid wickets of Duckett and Harry Brook in consecutive balls to Shardul Thakur. Ben Stokes followed soon as he was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja.

Root and Jamie Smith ensured that there was no more damage done and added 71 runs for the sixth wicket to guide the hosts to a memorable win. Smith finished the match with a couple of sixes.

This is the second-highest successful run-chase in England, the first also being against India in 2022 when the team got 378 runs for the loss of just three wickets.

India fall short after being ahead for four days
On Day 4, Rishabh Pant registered his second century in the Test to put India in a strong position. Having scored a ton in the first innings, the wicket-keeper batter reached the milestone yet again in the second innings off just 130 balls, including 13 fours and two sixes.

The century marked the first instance for an Indian batter to score twin tons in England. The knock was his fourth century on the English soil. He was dismissed for 118 runs while trying for a six against Shoaib Bashir.

Arriving to the crease early on Day 4 after captain Shubman Gill's wicket, Pant counter-attacked and took on the England bowlers to put India in the driver's seat before tea. Earlier, KL Rahul scored a gritty century to extend India’s lead close to over 350 in the second innings.

Rahul brought up his ninth Test ton off 202 balls, including 13 fours. This was also his third century in the longest format in England.

Continuing from the overnight score of 46, Rahul mixed caution with aggression to put India in ahead in the second session on Day 4.Once he saw off the new ball, Rahul played some extraordinary drives to release the pressure off himself and the team. Pant and Rahul shared a partnership a massive 195-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

However, like the first innings, India's lower order collapsed and the visitors went from 333/4 to being bowled out for 364 runs.

In the first innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gill and Pant brought up three-figures in the first innings as India had posted 471 runs. This was the second instance where four or more batters scored a century in a Test match.

In reply, England’s Ollie Pope got to his ninth Test ton, while Harry Brook was dismissed for 99. Jasprit Bumrah's fifer restricted England to 465 runs, just six short of India's tally.

In the second innings, Jaiswal, Sudharsan and Gill were dismissed cheaply with the score still under 100. However, Rahul and Pant's partnership ensured that India stayed in the game while they aim to set a target that is out of England's reach on the final day.