On Day 5 of the first Test between India and England at Headingley, Leeds, a tense moment occurred just before the Lunch break. As Mohammed Siraj ran in to deliver the final ball of the session, England opener Zak Crawley suddenly stepped away, claiming movement behind the sightscreen.
However, veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle remarked, “there was no movement behind the screen,” implying Crawley might have done it to deliberately delay the game so India couldn’t bowl another over.
The plan worked as the umpires called for Lunch immediately after. Siraj, visibly frustrated, had a heated exchange with Ben Duckett, who appeared amused and laughed alongside Crawley while heading back to the pavilion. KL Rahul also joined in the conversation, speaking with both English openers.
DSP SIRAJ FIRED UP
🫨#INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/DE0A7eUvqc— Puneet (@Puneet201764291) June 24, 2025
India’s Bowling Faces Inconsistency
Chasing a challenging 371-run target, England had a strong start. By Lunch, Ben Duckett was unbeaten on 64 and Crawley on 42, with England needing 254 more runs. While Jasprit Bumrah stood out with his disciplined bowling, the other Indian pacers—Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul Thakur—struggled with consistency.
They often bowled poor deliveries, offering easy scoring chances to the English batters. Bumrah provided the standout moment when he clean bowled Duckett with a superb off-cutter. But apart from that, the remaining bowlers failed to create significant pressure or breakthroughs, appearing mostly ordinary during their spells.
Historic Partnership Builds Pressure
England’s opening pair of Duckett and Crawley put on a dominant display in the first session. They resumed the innings at 21 for no loss and added 96 runs by Lunch without losing a wicket. This stand became historic, as it broke a long-standing record for the highest fourth innings opening partnership in a Test match at Headingley.
The previous record of 112 was set back in 1949 by New Zealand’s Verdun Scott and Bert Sutcliffe. The current English duo, having already scored over 2000 runs together in Tests, looked in full control, punishing anything short or overpitched with confident strokes—cuts, pulls, and drives—giving England a solid foundation in their pursuit of the target.
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