India suffered another painful loss on English soil after failing to defend a target of over 370 runs for the second consecutive time. On Tuesday, England defeated India by five wickets at Headingley in Leeds, taking a 1-0 lead in the Test series.
Duckett Shines with Match-Winning Knock
England opener Ben Duckett played a vital role in the win, smashing a brilliant 149 in the second innings. He had also contributed 62 runs in the first innings. Duckett's aggressive and confident batting set the tone for England’s chase.
His opening partner, Zak Crawley, added to India’s woes with a fluent 65. Veteran batter Joe Root anchored the innings till the end, finishing unbeaten on 53 and guiding England to a smooth win.
England Off to a Strong Start in WTC Cycle
With this victory, England began their 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship campaign on a high. They comfortably chased the 371-run target set by India and looked in control throughout the final innings.
Gill’s Captaincy Begins with a Setback
India’s young skipper Shubman Gill, who recently took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma, faced a tough debut. His first Test as captain ended in disappointment, almost a month after the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee appointed him as the new Test leader.
Brief Scorecard
India lost the first Test, but there are many things Shubman Gill can learn from this match. He should be given more time and not judged after just one Test, as the media did with Rohit Sharma following a loss in Australia last year. Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna should also learn from their mistakes.
The target set by the Indian batters was not small—it was up to the bowling attack to defend it. Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless, which shows the quality of England’s batting at home. Facing Bumrah is never easy, yet England handled him well. Ben Duckett played a superb knock to chase down the target.
India now has just over a week to regroup. They will aim to fix their flaws before the second Test, which begins on 2 July at Edgbaston in Birmingham. After this loss, the pressure is on Gill and his team to bounce back and level the series. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!