1st Test: Lack of imposing scores undermined India

ENGLAND COMFORTABLY CHASED TARGET OF 371 ON THE FINAL DAY

- BY SHYAM A. KRISHNA

Five centuries — and yet India lost the Headingley Test. I did predict that. Simply because those five centuries (two from Rishabh Pant) didn’t translate into imposing totals, and that made all the difference. The target wasn’t daunting, although anything over 350 isn’t easy to chase. But a target of 400 or 450 would’ve put real scoreboard pressure on England.

A five-wicket win means England were under no such pressure; there was no need to rush or take unnecessary risks. That was clear on Tuesday morning, when Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett played cautious, un-Bazball cricket, only to accelerate later.

England had just two centuries and a 99 in the match, yet that was enough to win and go 1-0 up in the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy series. While Ollie Pope’s ton and Harry Brook’s 99 helped England match India’s first-innings score, Duckett’s quickfire century sealed the deal.