- Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett gave England initiative with 188-run opening stand
- Joe Root’s 53 from 84 balls helped hosts over the line with an hour left to play
- India will be left to rue a missed opportunity after leading for most of the Test
Ben Stokes savoured another heroic Headingley triumph as England completed their second-highest run chase to beat India by five wickets in a thrilling first Test.
Opener Ben Duckett led the charge with a magnificent 149, helping the hosts knock off 371 with 14 overs remaining of an epic final day in Leeds.
England’s remarkable pursuit follows their famous run-chase wins on this ground against Australia in 2019 – when Stokes inspired them to knock off 359 – and 2023.
And skipper Stokes said: ‘We’ve got some good memories here in the last few years and that’s another one to add to it.
‘To get to day five and the last hour and come home with the win is amazing. It was an awesome Test to be a part of. It’s a special start to the series.’
Man-of-the-match Duckett shared an opening stand of 188 with Zak Crawley, who struck 65, while Joe Root hit an unbeaten 53 and Jamie Smith smashed a six to win it in a knock of 44.
On Duckett, Stokes said: ‘He was unbelievable. He knows how good that was. Chasing 371, you need a good start and his stand with Zak set us up brilliantly.
‘Ducky has been incredible since coming into the team. He has shown he can score runs all over the world and in any conditions he’s faced.
‘He is one of the best in the world at playing reverse sweeps and sweeps. He is a quality player.’
Duckett added: ‘I had to do my job. Zak played beautifully and we knew we had to set the tone. To start this series with a 1-0 win is huge for us.’
Stokes insisted he never regretted his controversial decision to bowl first despite India reaching 430 for three in their first innings. But he praised the character his side showed to fight back in the Test, with Josh Tongue twice blowing away the tourists’ tail.
‘This win here is not down to just the skill, but the attitude of this dressing room,’ said Stokes. ‘We turned up each session with an attitude that we’ll blow the game open. Tongue’s spells were game changing.’
Defeat is especially damaging for India given they only plan to play star bowler Jasprit Bumrah in two further Tests following his return from injury.
‘We won’t change our plans,’ said India coach Gautam Gambhir. ‘For us, to manage his workload is more important. We haven’t decided which two he will play, but we believe in the rest of our bowling attack.’
