India became the first team in history to lose a Test match after hitting five centuries.
The first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is done and dusted. The English are slowly making a habit of raising the standards of Test cricket via their unique playing styles. On the other hand, a new era in Indian cricket has started with Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir scratching their heads. The Three Lions chased a total of 371 quite comfortably with five wickets in hand. Jasprit Bumrah couldn’t save the Indians this time. The visitors, unfortunately, find themselves in the books for an unwanted record. They have become the first team to lose a Test after scoring five centuries in the match—elation in one camp, disappointment in the other.
England were out of the game for most of the sessions, but managed to clinch important moments. Opener Ben Duckett was the shining light for the English under the overcast weather in Leeds. He scored an impressive 149, guiding his team to a memorable win. He also made sure that the runs kept flowing and stitched an 188-run partnership for the opening stand. The teams now head to Edgbaston, a venue that has long haunted India.
The left-handed English opener, in the press conference, spoke about the difficulties in facing Jasprit Bumrah. He stressed Bumrah’s brilliance and mentioned that the pacer finds a way to get wickets in any conditions. He also went on to express that it becomes tougher to face the 31-year-old under floodlights in overcast conditions when the ball is swinging both ways. Lastly, he spoke about how unique Bumrah’s run-up is, and that it takes a lot of patience for a batter to face him. Moreover, he felt that the English batters countered the threat brilliantly, which is why they could win the match.
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“He [Bumrah] is the best bowler in the world. He’s extremely hard to face. He is good in any conditions, even on the flattest pitches in India. When he’s coming down the hill with the lights on, and it’s swinging both ways, it is tough. But I feel we minimised the damage early on. It could have been pretty worse today. The way he runs in, you are just waiting and waiting for him to get there. His ability to bowl three or four balls with no cues [to the batter] is what stands out. So you have to watch the ball pretty closely”, said Duckett in the presser.
The English opener has been amongst the very few batters to have a good record against the Indian speedster. In nine innings so far, Duckett has scored 110 runs, losing his wicket twice to Bumrah. He pacer is set to play two more games in the series, and how Duckett faces that battle is what might play a part in defining the series.
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