Under grey skies in Leeds, England pulled off one of their most audacious victories in recent memory, chasing down 371 in style to clinch the first Test of the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. A masterful 149 by Ben Duckett orchestrated the pursuit, as India watched their lead, their plans, and their pride slip away through the final hours of Day 5.
The script had promised a classic, and Headingley delivered. India had the runs, England had the belief, and Duckett turned that belief into a breathtaking reality. While Zak Crawley played the patient anchor with a gritty 65, Duckett wielded his bat like a brush, painting boundaries on a canvas of pressure. His 21 fours and 1 six in a 170-ball blitz dismantled India’s defence with elegance and aggression.
Joe Root, ever the calm in a chase, chipped in with an unbeaten 53. Jamie Smith’s assured 44* only added polish to an already shining pursuit. They reached the target in just 82 overs, at a brisk 4.54 runs per over—making it the second-highest successful Test chase in English history, just behind their 378-run chase, also against India.
India’s bowlers, usually reliable, found no rhythm. Jasprit Bumrah bowled 19 overs for 57 runs without reward. Prasidh Krishna struck twice but bled runs at 6.13 per over. Ravindra Jadeja offered control but just one wicket in 24 overs. And when Ben Stokes fell at 302, bowled by Jadeja after a fighting 33, India had a glimmer. But Root and Smith extinguished it.
The drama had started long before this chase. In the first innings, India rode on centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (107), Shubman Gill (101), and Rishabh Pant (108) to post 471. England responded with fire: Ollie Pope’s 123, Harry Brook’s fortunate 99, and Duckett’s steady 62 pushed them to 465—just six behind. Bumrah took five, but England refused to fade.
India’s second innings saw Rahul (137) and Pant (118) double down on their resistance, while England’s bowlers chipped away. Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue took three wickets apiece to bowl India out for 364, setting the stage.
What followed was Test cricket at its most cinematic. England walked out chasing 371, the pitch cracking, pressure mounting. Crawley and Duckett weathered the early threat. When Crawley fell for 65, England were already 188. Pope added a brief eight before falling, but Duckett kept marching. Even Pant’s athletic keeping and Thakur’s breakthroughs couldn’t halt the English tide.
The 373/5 total became the highest successful fourth-innings chase between India and England, and the overall aggregate of 1,673 runs made it their highest-scoring Test match encounter ever.
It was a match where three Indian centuries meant little in the shadow of one mighty Duckett effort. Where Bumrah’s fifer in the first innings faded under English flair. Where the final day, meant for Indian glory, became a chapter of English dominance. The first page of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has been written—and it sings in red ink.