India vs England First Test result: England won by 5 wickets as Ben Duckett’s stunning 149 led a record fourth-innings chase in Leeds.
England wrote their own incredible comeback in thrashing India by five wickets in the first Test of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy 2025 at the historical Yorkshire Cricket Ground in Leeds. A spectacular 149 run by Ben Duckett supported the way England chased a mammoth 371 run total to give the host a 1-0 lead in the series of 5 matches.
Ben Duckett’s Masterclass Guides England to Record Chase
With the pitch being helpful to neither, the most you could end up stating about the singular factor that took place on the final day concerns Ben Duckett and his fearless strokeplay. Against India and 170 balls, Duckett demonstrated an incredible amount of coordination of the hands and eyes and a serene presence of mind as he demolished the Indian bowling attack with a scalpel. His commanding innings was filled with boundaries and sweeps and counteracts to both spin and pace and established the tone of one of the best fourth-innings efforts in Test history of England.
With the successful chase led by Duckett (188 off 249) partnering Zak Crawley (65 off 104),+ the partnership of the two was helpful in the pursuit. Crawley was an ideal foil to this with beautiful drives and sound footwork, and Duckett was taking the bowlers on at will with impunity.
India’s bowling faltered despite Bumrah’s persistence
India has a bowling unit who boast so much, but it seems they lost it in the final innings where a target of 370 was expected to be defended. At the head of the attack, Jasprit Bumrah was aggressive and precise without taking any wickets despite putting the batsmen under pressure in the first overs. Several times he struck the edge off Duckett, with no dividend, as it were.
Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur were at fault for spraying the ball, providing many chances of scoring. These were especially Siraj, who seemed out of form and was severely punished. Thakur was twice on target near the day-end, but the job was by then accomplished.
The forgettable Prasidh Krishna was back after lunch and briefly made India get back into the game. He then got rid of Crawley by an outswinger of supreme brilliance and had Ollie Pope (8), caught by Ashwin, with an all-devouring in-seamer. But those wickets were not enough to gather momentum in favour of India.
India got some relief due to rain break
An English charge had been checked for a while by a rain break at lunchtime, and this gave India time to rally. When Krishna returned, his two-fold assault revived the chances of an unbelievable comeback. However, an indomitable presence by Duckett in the crease saw off any possible Indian recovery.
He played Ravindra Jadeja with bold reverse shots and sweeps and lofted drives. Jadeja was rendered useless on a track that did not give him a substantive cooperation. The exclusion of wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav by India attracted a lot of criticism, with the England batsmen easily handling the left-arm orthodox.
Shardul Thakur Strikes Twice but Too Late
At a time when Duckett was bound to end the match by himself, Shardul Thakur gave India a ray of hope. He immediately got rid of Duckett with a full ball that was bowled straight to Nitish Reddy at cover that brought an end to an outstanding innings. The very next ball saw Harry Brook edging a leg-side ball through to Rishabh Pant to rock the English camp.
But then Joe Root (53* off 77) and Jamie Smith (44* off 57) maintained the innings with an unbroken 71-run partnership in the 6th wicket. Smith and Root had cool heads, especially in the stroke play, and the team successfully cruised to the finishing line without any fumble.
Highlights: India’s huge score despite defeat
India were defeated despite scoring 835 runs in the two innings, which makes it one of the largest match aggregates followed by a losing team in Test cricket:
- 861- England Vs Australia, Headingley 1948
- 847 – Pakistan England Rawalpindi 2022
- 837-New Zealand-England-Trent Bridge 2022
- 835 India vs England Headingley 2025
Even though Indian batters had spent centuries and had a dominating first-innings score of 471, their bowling line-up could not stem the flow of Duckett and his aggression, which resulted in their defeat.
Day-by-Day Match Summary
Day 1: India Pays India Back with big First Inning
India scored 471 riding on Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill centuries. England did their best in their first innings when they scored 465 through Ben Stokes (121) and Joe Root (96).
Days 2 & 3: Balanced Test High Scoring
The second innings of India included a quickfire 85 by Rishabh Pant and a contribution of 74 by Yashasvi Jaiswal. The pace of losing the early wickets did not help, but the middle order had their way, earning England a challenging target of 371.
Day 4: England Start Chasing with Care
England played safe on the fourth day, gaining 21 runs with no loss at the stumps. Duckett and Crawley both seemed confident against India’s opening bowlers, thus laying on ghosts of the final-day attack.
Day 5: Duckett Leads the Way and Secures Glorious Win
The sheer talent of Duckett marred a rather humble showing by India in bowling, where England not only achieved the target but also had a bonus five wickets in the bag, ending up at 373/5 in 82 overs.
The main Lessons of the First Test
- The 149 by Ben Duckett qualifies as one of the most effective fourth-innings half-centuries ever produced by an English opening batsman.
- The Indian bowling attack did not exert pressure on a neutral surface.
- The captaincy and composure exhibited by Joe Root are always decisive in the crunch.
- The healthy bench strength in England can be seen as a future hint by Jamie Smith.
- The choice of Graham Johansson was a terrible mistake; not only did India remove Kuldeep Yadav, but it also dropped him.
Looking Ahead: Second Test in Birmingham
Now the series shifts to Edgbaston, in Birmingham, and the second Test will be played between July 2 and July 6. India will be forced to recover, particularly when doubts are cast on their bowling selection as well as their failure to shut out games when leading the pack.
The personnel changes are likely especially in relation to the spin department. England, however, will seek to extend the lead and carry on with their attack mode of cricket with Ben Stokes at the helm.
Brief Scorecard
India: 471 & 364
England: 465 & 373/5 (Duckett 149, Crawley 65, Root 53*, Smith 44*; Thakur 2/51, Krishna 2/92)
Result: England won by 5 wickets
Series Status: England lead 1-0 in the 5-match series
