Former England pacer Stuart Broad said he was surprised that Ben Stokes and his team managed to win the first Test against India at Headingley, especially while chasing a challenging target of 371 runs. Broad felt that England should have ideally lost the match, considering how tough the situation was.
He acknowledged Ben Duckett’s positive approach at the crease but noted that India missed several chances to seal the game. On Day 5, England resumed their innings at 21/0, needing 350 more runs. Openers Duckett and Zak Crawley gave them a strong start with a massive 188-run partnership.
Although England lost quick wickets afterward, including Ollie Pope and Harry Brook, Joe Root and debutant Jamie Smith kept their cool and steered England to victory with five wickets in hand. Speaking to Sky Sports, Stuart Broad said he was surprised by how calm England looked on the final-day pitch.
“There will be a lot of celebrations but England will have had belief all day, they would never have had any doubts. It was a sensational run chase and Duckett was outstanding with his 149. It is incredible how this team keep doing this.”
“They needed 371 on a day-five pitch but did it calmly. There was a huge amount of skill on show England should probably have lost this game – India had so many chances to put it to bed but England scrapped and fought.”
“India Never Looked in Control During England’s Chase” – Dinesh Karthik
Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik believes the defeat will sting for India and serve as a lesson in not allowing the opposition even the slightest opportunity. He remarked:
“India will be pensive. They were well ahead for the majority of the game, in the driving seat, scoring five individual hundreds across two innings. But at no point today when England were batting did you feel India were in the game. There will be massive learnings. Make sure you grind opposition into the ground and don’t give them a chance.”
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