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England defeated India by five wickets in the first Test match of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy 2025, taking place at Yorkshire Cricket Ground in Leeds, England, to take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test match series. Opener Ben Duckett's batting masterclass played a crucial role in England's 371 chase.
Duckett's batting masterclass against a lacklustre Indian bowling on the final day of the first Test, with a superb 149 off 170 balls, helped the hosts to take command. His commanding knock took England to 269 for 4 at tea, leaving them just 102 runs shy of a remarkable victory with one session left in the match.
Chasing a daunting 371 for a win in the opener clash, Duckett and Zak Crawley (65) laid the perfect platform with a 188-run opening stand that completely smashed the Indian bowling unit. Though Duckett had to weather a threatening early spell from Jasprit Bumrah, who was sharp but wicketless, he never lost his rhythm and kept playing to his strengths with unwavering confidence.
A rain interruption after lunch briefly halted England's charge and gave India a glimmer of hope. Prasidh Krishna, who had struggled earlier in the day, made a comeback. He removed Crawley with a lovely outswinger that drew an edge to KL Rahul at slip and then picked up Ollie Pope's (8) wicket with an incisive delivery that jagged in off the seam.
Most runs scored by a team in a defeat
861 Eng vs Aus Headingley 1948
847 Pak vs Eng Rawalpindi 2022
837 NZ vs Eng Trent Bridge 2022
835 Ind vs Eng Headingley 2025
However, those wickets came a little too late. Duckett, unfazed by the setbacks at the other end, kept attacking in his own trademark style. Smashed the bowlers with hand-eye coordination rather than footwork, the left-hander punished anything loose, playing late and often from the crease, he made the Indian bowlers pay even on a pitch offering little assistance.
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India's bowling unit, apart from a spirited effort from Bumrah, was struggling. Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur bowled too many boundary balls, allowing England to stay comfortably ahead in the chase. Duckett was even dropped by Yashasvi Jaiswal off Siraj, adding to India's growing frustration.
Ravindra Jadeja found no help from the surface, and Duckett took him on with bold reverse sweeps, one of them flying to the boundary behind square, and another, more audacious, clearing extra cover for six. India's decision to leave out wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav looked increasingly costly.
Even after the dismissals of Crawley and Pope, Duckett showed no signs of retreat. He continued to cut, pull, and sweep with authority, keeping England well in front. But just as he looked poised to take his side over the line, Shardul Thakur, India's golden-arm bowler, struck twice out of nowhere.
First, Duckett drove a full delivery straight to Nitish Reddy at cover, ending a brilliant innings. Then, off the very next ball, Harry Brook feathered a glance down the leg side to Rishabh Pant, who took a sharp catch to jolt England momentarily.
Resuming at 21 for no loss on the fifth and final day, England remained unscathed in the first session and even as India fought back with four wickets in the second, they remained ahead in the chase.
Chasing 371 for the win, the hosts reached 373 for 5 from 82 overs.
Joe Root (53 not out) and Jamie Smith (44 not out) took England over the line with an unbeaten 71-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
The second Test will be played from July 2-6 at Birmingham.
Brief Scores: India 471 & 364 lost to England 465 & 373/5 in 82 overs (Zak Crawley 65, Ben Duckett 149, Joe Root 53 not out, Ben Stokes 33, Jamie Smith 44 not out; Prasidh Krishna 2/92, Shardul Thakur 2/51) by 5 wickets.
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