On Tuesday (June 24), England pulled off a tremendous 5-wicket victory against India in the first test match to take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing Anderson Tendulkar Trophy. A stunning century from Ben Duckett, complemented by the fifties from Zak Crawley and Joe Root, along with Jamie Smith’s brisk 44-run knock, helped the hosts chase the 371-run target at Headingley, Leeds.

England’s Day 04 concluded at stumps after scoring 21/0 in 6 overs, and the competition was perfectly set up for the Ben Stokes-led side to add another 350 runs within 90 overs with 10 wickets to spare.

Let’s take a look at how the four batters set new records that not only led England to second-highest successful run chase in the history of test cricket, but also caused India to register embarrassing records.

Zak Crawley’s 17th Test Fifty and Highest Opening Partnership in 4th Innings

England opener Zak Crawley’s 126-ball 65 runs (including 7 fours) helped build a 188-run opening partnership with Ben Duckett. This opening stand is not only England’s second highest in the 4th innings but also the topmost against India, as well as at Headingley.

The duo of batters Crawley and Duckett stitched the highest ever opening partnership in the 4th innings of a home test match for England. They overtook the 154-run stand between Geoffrey Boycott & Mike Brearley against Australia in Nottingham back in 1977.

Ben Duckett’s 6th Test Century: Highest Individual Scores in 4th Innings vs India

Out of 170 balls faced, Ben Duckett scored a fabulous 149-run knock that included 21 fours and 1 six at a strike rate of 87.65. The 30-year-old surpassed his teammate Joe Root’s record of achieving the highest individual score by any batter in run chases against India, and here is a detailed list of those noteworthy stats:

Joe Root and Jamie Smith’s Valuable 71-Run Partnership

Following Zak Crawley’s dismissal, the England batting line-up lost the wickets of Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett, and Ben Stokes in a short period.

However, Joe Root once again proved his classy style of playing cricket and remained composed by scoring an unbeaten 53 runs out of 84 balls (including 6 fours). Furthermore, Jamie Smith too remained not out and scored 44 runs out of 55 balls (including 4 fours and 2 sixes).

The duo of right-handers paired up to form a 6th wicket partnership of 71 runs that steered their team to accomplish the required target and secured a victory by 5 wickets with 8 overs remaining.

5 Centuries in Losing Cause: An Unwanted Record for Team India in Tests

Unfortunately, India secured a humiliating record by becoming the only team to lose a test match despite 5 individual centuries, thereby overtaking Australia’s tally (4 centuries in 1928).

Here is how the Aussies and Indians lost to England when multiple individuals scored 100s in a single test match:

India Becomes the 4th Team to Face A Defeat After Scoring the Most Runs.

After England, Pakistan, and New Zealand, it’s now India that joins the list as the fourth team to face a defeat despite accumulating the most runs, and here is a detailed list:

Conclusion

Team India’s 10 dropped catches at Headingley were one of the main reasons for England to make use of the golden opportunities to accumulate huge runs on the board and secure a 5-wicket victory.

Moreover, India taking a lead by only 6 runs after the conclusion of the first innings wasn’t enough to dominate with a subpar bowling attack.

Also, this is the 5th time (out of 8 occasions) the hosts have won a test match against India in Leeds.

Overall, the English cricketers with much confidence for their next test match at Edgbaston, Birmingham. As India never managed to win a single test against the hosts at this venue, it is another opportunity for Ben Stokes and his men to extend their team’s unbeaten streak.