India’s Pant, Rahul score centuries to set England 371 to win

India was each retired for 364, opening the doorway for England to signifier a melodramatic trial cricket triumph astatine Headingley connected last day.

Another India lower-order illness gave England a warring accidental of a thrilling cricket triumph successful the archetypal Test astatine Headingley, with the hosts 21-0 successful their 2nd innings astatine the adjacent of play connected time four, chasing 371 to win.

Josh Tongue, conscionable arsenic helium did successful the archetypal innings, came to the fore erstwhile seeing disconnected the Indian tail, with 3 wickets successful 4 balls helping guarantee the tourists mislaid their last six second-innings wickets for 31 runs connected Monday.

The collapse, which saw India each retired for 364, gave the unsafe Jasprit Bumrah the accidental to onslaught England earlier adjacent of play. But neither opener, Zak Crawley nor Ben Duckett, looked troubled arsenic they repelled the Indian onslaught until stumps.

Reaching 371 would beryllium England’s second-highest palmy Test tally pursuit against India, and the second-highest astatine Headingley, much than the Ben Stokes-inspired heroics connected the aforesaid crushed against Australia successful 2019.

“To get them each retired and not suffer a wicket successful the past fractional hour, Ducky [Ben Duckett] and Zak [Crawley] batted truly well,” Tongue told Sky Sports.

“The archetypal league we batted truly well, I thought we were unlucky. The connection was to deed the transportation arsenic hard arsenic we can. It flattened retired successful the 2nd session. We conscionable had to enactment patient.”

Resuming time 4 connected 90-2 successful their 2nd innings, with a pb of 96 runs, India skipper Shubman Gill, who made his highest Test people successful the archetypal innings, chopped onto his stumps to autumn for 8 to Brydon Carse.

England sensed an opportunity, having dragged themselves backmost into the Test connected Sunday. But Rishabh Pant’s 195-run middle-order concern with KL Rahul swung the momentum backmost successful India’s favour.

England’s Josh Tongue celebrates connected time 4 aft taking the wicket of India’s Mohammed Siraj [Ed Sykes/Action Images via Reuters]

Rahul, Pant rally

The usually box-office Pant started his innings rather conservatively, blessed to ticker connected arsenic Rahul moved smoothly to his century, his ninth successful Tests, 8 of which person travel overseas.

After smashing 2 sixes successful 3 balls aft lunch, however, Pant deed the accelerator and brought retired his typically flamboyant shots to each corners of the ground, with his 100 meaning, for the archetypal time, that determination person been 5 India centuries scored successful 1 Test match.

Pant yet tried 1 changeable excessively many, caught chasing different six connected the bound by Crawley for 118 earlier Rahul fell soon aft beverage for 137, again chopping onto the stumps disconnected the bowling of Carse.

Then came the Tongue-inspired collapse, arsenic the accelerated bowler took 3 wickets and the drawback that brought astir the extremity of India’s innings arsenic the touring side, having mislaid their last six first-innings wickets for 24 runs, fell isolated again.

Bumrah, the fig one-ranked Test bowler successful the world, who took 5 wickets successful the archetypal innings, instantly grabbed the shot but got precise small joyousness arsenic Crawley remained unbeaten connected 12, portion Duckett volition instrumentality for a tantalising Tuesday connected nine.

The likelihood are stacked against England connected the last day, but determination is anticipation astatine least. In 59 Tests erstwhile defending totals of implicit 350, India person lone mislaid once. That, however, was against England successful 2022.

“Someone’s got to triumph tomorrow; it volition beryllium an absorbing day,” Rahul told Sky Sports.

“The wicket is not arsenic casual arsenic the archetypal innings. They won’t find it arsenic casual to deed the shot connected the rise. Even if they get a large partnership, if we get a mates of wickets, we’ll beryllium close successful the game.”

KL Rahul top-scored for India successful the 2nd innings with 137 runs [Ed Sykes/Action Images via Reuters]