Five centuries - Four Indian players had scored a century each, while Rishabh Pant scored a ton in both innings, yet the Shubman Gill-led side suffered an embarrassing defeat in the first Test at Headingley. Given the start that the team had, there was a sense of belief among fans, but that didn’t last long as they lost six wickets for 41 runs in the first innings. Despite so, the team managed to post 471 runs on the board in the first innings.
In the second, the bowlers were expected to get going as the conditions looked good, but barring Jasprit Bumrah, others struggled to make any sort of impact. The ace pacer clinched a five-wicket haul, and Prasidh Krishna in the end had three wickets to his name, but it was a poor show overall. The bowling unit looked dependent on Bumrah and that didn’t help.
When it comes to fielding, there were blunders, to say the least. Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped three catches in the first innings, which cost India heavily. Ravindra Jadeja, considered to be one of the best fielders in world cricket, too dropped a sitter and that summed up India’s performance. England eventually posted 465 runs, as India managed a six-run lead.
Despite so many things going against their way, the Indian batters didn’t lose hope as KL Rahul and Pant scored a century each. They looked in extraordinary touch, but once they departed for 137 and 118 runs, respectively, wickets fell like a house of cards. They lost six wickets in 31 runs, as the middle and the tailenders once again failed to contribute enough with the bat. That put pressure on the visitors, but regardless, defending 371 runs was expected to keep them in the hunt.
Not for long, though. England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett played some brilliant cricket, stitching a partnership of 188 runs. More or less, that sealed England’s fate in the match. However, with Bumrah still being there, the Indian fans were optimistic. Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur picked up two wickets each, but that wasn’t enough. Bumrah went wicketless as England won the match by five wickets.
India are left with plenty of room for introspection. Be it lower-order batting, to bowling to fielding, the team needs to improve in every area. Meanwhile, this was England's highest chase at Headingley. Overall, it was second to Australia's 404 chase in 1948,