England Clinches Thrilling Victory Over India by Five Wickets in Record-Breaking First Test

Leeds – In an unforgettable Test match at Headingley on Tuesday, England secured a dramatic five-wicket victory over India, setting a historic milestone in cricket.

Chasing a daunting target of 371 runs, England reached 373-5, sealing the win in spectacular fashion with a six from Jamie Smith. Opener Ben Duckett was the star of the innings, scoring a commanding 149, paving the way for England’s triumph. Joe Root, playing on his home Yorkshire ground, remained unbeaten on 53.

This victory marked an unprecedented achievement as England became the first team in over 60,000 first-class matches to concede five individual centuries and still emerge victorious. India, despite a monumental total of 835 runs across both innings, fell short due to crucial collapses at the end of each innings, scoring just 7-41 and 6-31 in their final wickets.

Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant shone brightly with twin centuries of 134 and 118, becoming only the second wicketkeeper in Test history to score hundreds in both innings of the same match. Other notable performances included Shubman Gill (147) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) in India’s first innings and KL Rahul’s 137 in the second innings.

For England, Ollie Pope scored a vital century (106) in the first innings, with Harry Brook narrowly missing out on a hundred with 99 runs. The bowling attack was led by Jamie Tongue, who took 4-86 and 3-72 across the two innings.

Read more: Duckett, Crawley Lead England’s Strong Push Toward Historic Win Over India

The win gives England a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series, setting the tone for what promises to be an intense contest.

Brief Scores:

• India 1st Innings: 471 (S Gill 147, R Pant 134, Y Jaiswal 101; B Stokes 4-66, J Tongue 4-86)

• England 1st Innings: 465 (O Pope 106, H Brook 99; J Bumrah 5-83, P Krishna 3-128)

• India 2nd Innings: 364 (K L Rahul 137, R Pant 118; J Tongue 3-72, B Carse 3-80)

• England 2nd Innings: 373-5 (B Duckett 149, Z Crawley 65, J Root 53 not out)

Player of the Match: Ben Duckett (England)

The series continues with high anticipation as India looks to bounce back in the upcoming Tests.