England 371 to win at Headingley
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England 371 to win at Headingley
England 371 to win at Headingley
England will need 371 to win the first Test at Headingley after India were dismissed for 364 in their second innings late on day four. The hosts will return on Tuesday needing 350 more, after Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett negotiated the first six overs of the chase without alarm to close on 21 for 0.
Only once have India lost when defending a total in excess of 350, but that anomaly within a 59-match sequence came on these shores, against a previous iteration of this England side. Three years ago, during the first summer of Baz and Ben, England broke their own record for a chase, scything down 378 for the loss of just three wickets at Edgbaston.
If successful, the effort at Headingley would be their second highest. But India should have asked more from their opponents. Fine centuries from KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant - his second in the match - bossed England for most of the day. But upon Rahul's dismissal for 137 after Pant had earlier made 118 - his fourth century in England, equalling the record for the most by a wicketkeeper in the country - a familiar collapse ensued.
Having managed just 24 between the last five wickets on day two, the last six on day four managed just 31. From 333 for 4, India were 364 all out in 71 balls, with four balls in succession from Josh Tongue that accounted for three wickets. Having removed Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj back-to-back, Tongue knocked out Jasprit Bumrah's middle stump. Just as he did in the first innings, a previous wicketless set of figures was polished by India's lower order, thus eventually finishing with 3 for 72.
Yet again, India failed to take an England win out of the equation, and perhaps most frustrating will be the fact that Rahul and Pant had done all the hard work. Their different approaches to the job at hand were reflected in the 202 and 130 deliveries, respectively, they took to reach three figures. A stand of 195 for the fourth wicket began after skipper Shubman Gill failed to effectively ride the bounce of a steepling ball from Brydon Carse that seamed into the right-hander, and was played on to the base of his own off stump.