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Headingley, Day 5, Fifth Rothesay Test

India 471 (Gill 147, Pant 134, Jaiswal 101) &amp, 364 (Rahul 137, Pant 118, Tongue 3-72)

England 465 (Pope 106, Brook 99, Bumrah 5-83) &amp, 373-5 (Duckett 149, Crawley 65, Root 53*)

England won by five wickets to lead the five-match series 1-0.

England defeated India on the nerve-wracking final day of the first Test at Headingley with a target of 371 thanks to Ben Duckett’s astonishing 149.

One of England’s best innings was played by Duckett, who defeated the home team’s 378-run record-breaking opponent at Edgbaston three years ago.

In doing so, Duckett added his names to Headingley folklore’s list: Ian Botham in 1981, Mark Butcher in 2001, Shai Hope in 2017 and, perhaps most famously, Ben Stokes in 2019.

Duckett and Zak Crawley made a measured 65 for the first wicket, taking 188 for the first wicket. Duckett was given a 97 and Crawford was dropped.

England were strolling while Duckett was at the crease, but Shardul Thakur’s opener and Harry Brook were both dismissed in subsequent deliveries. England was still trailing 118 at the end of the fourth wicket. India possessed hope.

In England’s battle against the threatening clouds and exploding Indians, Joe Root and Stokes joined them. There were also 49 more priceless runs before Stokes’ success against left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja’s short-third man was sealed with a reverse sweep.

Jamie Smith arrived with the necessary 69 and the necessary calm. As the clock ticked down, the anticipation increased.

Too late, only 22 balls were required to get the second new ball. With only 14 overs left, England won the match, scoring at a rate of 4.55 overs.

What’s the deal with this terrain? Headingley once more delivered a test that sucked up and fluctuated throughout the course of the final day, one that will stick in your mind forever.

Overnight, England were up 11-0, with 350 runs adrift. The four outcomes were all possible. Supporters from both sides exchanged chants, fought the emotions, and fought the tension. The rain only intervened on two occasions, somehow.

By the end, England had completed yet another run chase, demonstrating the captain’s choice to field first despite the bleak first-day playing conditions.

They completed Donald Bradman’s Australia in 1948, beating only the 404 of them for second-highest chase on this ground. This was the 10th-highest successful fourth innings chase ever and Stokes’ Ashes heroics from six years ago.

After India’s first innings ended with 430-3 and their second innings with 333-4, the home side’s remarkable escape was also invincible. Only three other teams have scored more runs in a Test before losing, and two of those were also defeated by Stokes’ England. India totaled 835 runs in the encounter.

There is a compelling case that Duckett is currently the world’s best all-format batter. The second-highest score by an England batter in a successful chase after Butcher’s epic 173 to defeat Australia on this ground 24 years ago was unquestionably his best of his six Test scores.

He had to escape India’s seamers’ potent morning burst. Crawley, who had a speedy 111-ball half-century, was Duckett’s fastest Test match.

Duckett burst into life with reverse-sweep and reverse-sweep when left-arm spinner Jadeja joined the attack. One was even given six-over-extra cover.

It was challenging to get Crawley a low caught-and-bowled to Bumrah. Yashasvi Jaiswal should have removed Duke at deep square leg from Mohammed Siraj. Jaiswal gave up the third chance in the contest.

Duckett jumped out of joy when he surpassed three figures, but trouble soon broke out. Prasidh Krishna, who bowled Ollie Pope with a nip-backer, was the only one who could not get a kick. When Crockett punched Thakur to cover, Brook was accidentally caught down the leg side when he accidentally crossed his first ball.

Stokes and Root both became concerned by the second rain delay as Jadeja began to land the ball in the rough. The captains of the past and present tapped in while maintaining good running and a positive score. Another shower was resisted by the umpires. The final whirl of Bumrah was over.

Stokes was actually shaky. Jadeja’s demise was unavoidable. Root, who used all of his tools and home-ground knowledge, had a quiet support from Smith.

How does India recover from this? Only one team in Test history has lost more than 430 runs in the first innings and lost three more.

The visitors were utterly wasteful. In their first innings, India took seven wickets for 41 runs, and in their second, they took six for 31. They also lost six catches overall.

The best bowler in the world went wicketless, but only the rest of the attack was able to provide backup for Bumrah on the final day. When the second new ball arrived, he was out of the game.

Bumrah will only likely play three games in the series, according to the tourists. He will undoubtedly benefit from the longer break between matches to prepare for the second Test.

In his opinion, “Test cricket is played over five days,” he said regarding his decision to bowl at the toss. You make a choice despite knowing what will happen. Both teams had great success.

In the crucial moments of this game, we did what we had to do. Not just the dressing room’s attitude, but also its ability to succeed here.

Ben Duckett, England’s opener and man of the match, said, “Unbelievable, what a test match. We had a lot of runs, and the weather was perfect. I have no words for it.

Sir Andy Murray says he feels “very proud” after the All England Club confirmed it will recognise his contribution to tennis with a statue of him at Wimbledon.

Murray ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion at Wimbledon with a memorable victory over Novak Djokovic in 2013, and triumphed again at SW19 in 2016 when he beat Milos Raonic.

Former Wimbledon chief executive Richard Lewis told BBC Sport in 2019 the club would honour Murray with a statue when he finished playing.

The Scot retired from professional tennis in August 2024 following an appearance at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, told the Ainslie + Ainslie Performance People podcast it is now in discussions with 38-year-old Murray to make good on the promise and hoped to have the statue in place by 2027.

“We are looking to have a statue of Andy Murray here]at Wimbledon] and we’re working closely with him and his team”, Jevans said.

“The ambition is that we would unveil that at the 150th anniversary of our first championship, which was 1877. He’s got to rightly be very involved in that and he and his team will be”.

A bronze statue of Fred Perry, the last British men’s champion before Murray, was erected at Wimbledon in 1984 to mark the 50th anniversary of his first singles championship.

Murray told BBC Sport: “I would expect that with Wimbledon and their attention to detail that it will be great.

” I’m very proud, there’s not many statues around the grounds there, and I always remember seeing the Fred Perry statue when I’ve walked around the grounds and gone to train and practise there over the years. It will be very special. “

Jevans said Murray would be equally deserving of being immortalised having provided” special “moments in the club’s history.

” Now he’s retired, we’re very much looking at how we can embrace him, for him to be a part of the club in the long term, “she added.

An emotional Emma Raducanu produced an impressive fightback to reach the second round at Eastbourne and keep her Wimbledon preparations on track.

British number one Raducanu trailed American Ann Li by a set and a break in difficult conditions on the south coast.

But the 22-year-old wrestled control of a topsy-turvy second set before finishing strongly to clinch a 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-1 victory.

Raducanu, who held back tears after securing victory, will meet Australian teenager Maya Joint for a place in the quarter-finals.

“I want to thank the crowd for getting me through some really sticky moments,” Raducanu said in her on-court interview.

“It really meant a lot to me and I’m really proud of how I fought back after losing the first set.

World number 38 Raducanu is building towards her fourth Wimbledon appearance, where she has twice reached the fourth round since her debut in 2021.

A run to the quarter-finals at Queen’s was enough to see the 2021 US Open champion regain the British number one title for the first time in two years earlier this month.

But Raducanu missed last week’s Berlin Open as she continues to manage a back issue – and, a fortnight on from Queen’s, she was given a stern test by 64th-ranked Li amid strong winds on the south coast.

Li, 24, appeared to have maintained her momentum when she secured an immediate break of serve at the start of set two, only to gift her opponent the initiative in the next game.

An unpredictable set continued as, having saved four break points, Raducanu took her opportunity to move 4-2 ahead – and then restored her advantage at 5-3 following another exchange of breaks.

That proved the catalyst for Raducanu’s excellent finish to the match, winning 10 of the last 12 games to blow her opponent away and complete victory in two hours and 18 minutes.