There was prediction of rain on Day 5 which added to the intrigue of the Headingley Test where England needed 350 runs and India 10 wickets to take lead in the five-match series. Play began on Tuesday on overcast conditions with rain breaks in between before sun shone bright on hosts. Here is how the drama unfolded on the final day at Leeds…
First session: Controlled aggression
Ever since Bazball era began, England have chased 300-plus totals with ease in fourth innings with the pitches not undergoing enough wear and tear. Headingley was no different in this Test where apart from the odd ball that kept low, there wasn’t anything alarming for batsmen to tread cautiously. But chasing 371, England needed a strong start and it is what Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley went about doing. They saw off Jasprit Bumrah’s early burst and ensured at the first drinks break had 42 on board without any damage. From there on it was all about consolidation as 117 came at the stroke of lunch with India attack unable to penetrate much as they even repeatedly complained about the condition of the ball before it was changed towards the end of the session.
Second session: Consolidation
There was drizzle during the lunch break, and the new ball offered movement in overcast conditions as wind too picked up, but Duckett was unmoved. Apart from Bumrah, the rest of the pace pack once again struggled to hit the right line and lengths, reminding of that 2011-2012 phase. Adding to the insult, Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped another catch of Duckett on 97.
Start, stop, start, stop
There was a 19-minute rain break as England had raced to 181/0 by then. Bright sunshine followed as against all odds, Prasidh Krishna provided twin blows removing Crawley and Ollie Pope as tea was pushed to 4.30pm local time. Those two strikes proved a false dawn as Duckett and Joe Root effortlessly ticked off the deficit with the left-hander even playing a disdainful reverse-sweep off Jadeja for a six before Shardul Thakur managed two soft dismissals – Duckett caught at cover off a wide delivery and Harry Brook caught down the leg-side off the first ball as rain brought early tea with England 102 away from the target.
The final cruise
After an half-hour break, when play resumed, England started favourites to finish off the game. Duckett’s 149 had ensured, they needn’t worry about the run-rate as India began with Jadeja and Bumrah in the hope of making inroads. With Ben Stokes taking his chances and Root being solid, England didn’t flinch as boundaries flowed again with India struggling to stay in the game. Even though Stokes fell, it mattered a little as the hosts cantered to 1-0 series lead.