
England Pull Off Thrilling Chase to Take 1-0 Lead
England's Ben Duckett led the charge with a magnificent 149, ably supported by Zak Crawley's 65, as they chased down 371 to take a 1-0 lead against India at Headingley.
The opening stand of 188 between Duckett and Crawley set the tone for the chase, with Joe Root (53*) and Jamie Smith (44*) adding 71 runs to take the hosts across the line.
Ben Stokes played a crucial role in the chase, negating Jasprit Bumrah's attack and helping England bring up the 300-run mark. However, he was eventually dismissed for 53, playing a reverse-sweep straight to Shubman Gill at short-third man.
Root and Smith then took control, stitching together a 71-run partnership to seal the win. Smith finished the game with a four and two sixes off Ravindra Jadeja, as England completed a famous win.
The openers laid a solid foundation, with Duckett bringing up his sixth Test ton with a reverse-sweep off Jadeja. Crawley played elegant on-drives against Bumrah, moving past 50, before being dismissed for 65.
England's victory was set up by the openers, who laid the platform for the chase. The hosts scored 152 runs in the extended second session, despite losing four wickets, before Root and Smith took control to seal the win.