CRICKET – ANOTHER India lower-order collapse gave England a fighting chance of a thrilling victory in the first Test at Headingley yesterday with the hosts 21-0 in their second innings at the close of play on day four, chasing 371 to win.
Josh Tongue, just as he did in the first innings, came to the fore when seeing off the Indian tail, with three wickets in four balls helping ensure the tourists lost their final six second-innings wickets for 31 runs.
The collapse, which saw India all out for 364, gave the dangerous Jasprit Bumrah the chance to attack England before close of play, but neither opener, Zak Crawley nor Ben Duckett, looked troubled as they repelled the Indian attack until stumps.
Reaching 371 would be England’s second-highest successful Test run chase against India, and the second-highest at Headingley, more than the Ben Stokes-inspired heroics on the same ground against Australia in 2019.
“To get them all out and not lose a wicket in the last half hour, Ducky and Zak batted really well,” Tongue told Sky Sports.
Resuming day four on 90-2 in their second innings, with a lead of 96 runs, India captain Shubman Gill, who made his highest Test score in the first innings, chopped onto his stumps to fall for eight, a second wicket for Brydon Carse.
England sensed an opportunity, having dragged themselves back into the Test on Sunday, but Rishabh Pant’s 195-run partnership with KL Rahul swung momentum back in India’s favour.
The normally box-office Pant started his innings quite conservatively, happy to watch on as Rahul moved smoothly to his century, his ninth in Tests, eight of which have come overseas.
After smashing two sixes in three balls after lunch, however, Pant hit the accelerator and brought out his typically flamboyant shots to all corners of the ground, with his hundred meaning, for the first time, that there have been five India centuries scored in one Test match.
Pant eventually tried one shot too many, caught chasing another six on the boundary by Crawley for 118 before Rahul fell shortly after tea for 137, again chopping onto the stumps off the bowling of Carse.
Then came the Tongue-inspired collapse, as the fast bowler took three wickets and the catch that brought about the end of India’s innings as the touring side, having lost their final six first-innings wickets for 24 runs, fell apart again.
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