England pulled off a remarkable victory in the first Test against India, thanks to a brilliant century from opener Ben Duckett. Chasing a challenging target of 371 runs on the final day, Duckett scored 149 runs and guided his team to a five-wicket win in the last session of the match.
Resuming their innings at 21 without loss, England got off to a strong start. Duckett and Zak Crawley built a solid 188-run opening stand that set the tone for the chase. While Duckett was the aggressor, Crawley played a composed knock of 65. After Crawley’s dismissal, Ollie Pope was dismissed cheaply for 8. India briefly came back into the game when Shardul Thakur removed Ben Duckett and then got Harry Brook for a golden duck on the very next ball.
However, the experienced pair of Joe Root and Ben Stokes steadied the innings with a 49-run partnership. Once Stokes departed, Jamie Smith joined Root at the crease, and the duo calmly took England home. Root remained unbeaten on 53 while Smith contributed 44 not out.
Earlier in the match, India had posted 471 runs in their first innings, powered by centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant. England replied strongly with 465, thanks to 106 from Ollie Pope and 99 from Harry Brook. In their second innings, India added 364 more runs, riding on centuries from Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, setting England a tough fourth-innings target of 371.
Despite the strong total, India’s bowlers struggled to take wickets at crucial moments, and England capitalized on that to secure a famous win. With this result, England takes a 1–0 lead in the Test series, with Ben Duckett’s century standing out as the match-winning performance.
