Leeds [UK], June 25 (ANI): England captain Ben Stokes had special praise in store for Player of the Match Ben Duckett, who weathered the storm and steered the hosts to a historic victory in the first Test against India at Headingley.
The noise from Indian fans was slowly overwhelmed by ‘Sweet Caroline’ from England supporters as the hosts orchestrated a memorable five-wicket triumph. On the final day of the pulsating Test, England defied the run of play and gunned down the 371-run target in 82 overs, their second successful chase in the format.
A sense of nostalgia engulfed Headingley, with shades of the 2019 heroics of Stokes, when his Ashes-saving unbeaten century left Australia gobsmacked, echoing throughout the venue. This time, Jamie Smith muscled the ball into the stands to finish off a gripping chase in style and power England to a 1-0 lead.
“We’ve got some good memories here over the last few years, and this is another one to add to it. It was an awesome Test match to be part of, going down to the last hour on day five and chasing a big total. Pretty special start to the series,” Stokes told Sky Sports Cricket.
Ben Duckett’s rollicking 149(170) was the driving force, with his partner Zak Crawley (65) playing the supporter’s role as they raised an 188-run opening stand to lay a solid foundation.
“Duckett was unbelievable. The pressure of the fourth innings is tough, and batting is hard enough, especially in England. So that partnership between Zak [Crawley] and Duckett was just incredible, they set us up brilliantly,” Stokes said.
“Those two complement each other so well. Duckett has got the big score that contributed towards us winning this game, but I thought the way Crawley was able to stay composed and stay in the moment was also very important to this win,” he added.
Stokes was scrutinised for his decision to bowl after winning the toss. After being forced to bat, India blazed its way to a daunting 471 on day two, raising further questions about England’s ploy. Eventually, things fell in England’s favour as they scurried to a five-wicket win on the final day.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen before a ball has been bowled. You’ve got to go with what you think is going to give you the best chance of winning the game, and it’s a good job that Test cricket is played over five days. We were trying to think about what would give us the best opportunity to win this game,” he said.
“The wicket here on day one looked like there was a bit of grass on top of it, and there was a bit of moisture underneath it. We backed ourselves to win that toss and bowl first, and try and strike a couple of early poles,” he added.
Even though India struck five centuries, Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), Shubman Gill (147), KL Rahul (137) and Rishabh Pant (134 and 118), England punished the tourists for the missed opportunities by pulling off their second-highest chase in Test cricket.
“There’s no doubt that chasing down totals does give you confidence as a team. But it doesn’t mean that is how it’s always going to go,” Stokes said.
“The opposition lads played well. This is international-level cricket, where the quality of players on either side is very good, and we bowled pretty well in that first session, but India as well, I thought they played incredibly well on day one,” he added. (ANI)
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