NEW DELHI: India skipper Shubman Gill admitted his team let key moments slip away after England pulled off a stirring five-wicket win in the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at Headingley on Tuesday.
Chasing 371 for victory, the hosts rode on Ben Duckett’s scintillating 149 and a composed unbeaten 71-run stand between Joe Root (53*) and debutant Jamie Smith (44*) to overhaul the target in 82 overs.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India had begun the final day with hope, reducing England to 299/5 after a wicketless morning session, but the bowlers couldn't break through again. Duckett’s fourth-innings masterclass and dropped chances in the field proved decisive.
Speaking after the defeat, Gill did not mince words. "A brilliant Test, we had our chances. Drop catches, lower order not contributing cost us," he said. "Yesterday, we were thinking of giving them 430, but our last wickets fell for 25. Even today, I thought we had our chances after the brilliant first wicket. Didn't go to hand."
Scorecard: India vs England, 1st TestIndia’s batting collapses in both innings and missed fielding opportunities — most notably Yashasvi Jaiswal’s drop of Duckett on 98 — came back to haunt them. "We spoke about the first-innings collapse. Happens, but we have to rectify that going forward," Gill said. "Chances don’t come easy on wickets like this, but we have a young, learning team."
Despite Jasprit Bumrah’s fiery spells, India couldn’t sustain pressure. "First session, we bowled spot-on. Didn't give away runs, but it's hard to stop runs once the ball gets old. Have to keep taking wickets then. Jadeja bowled brilliantly, created chances," Gill added. A missed chance off Jadeja also saw Rishabh Pant react late to a lobbed ball.
England opener Duckett was named Player of the Match for his match-winning 149. "Just an incredible game. At times, we were behind. Massive credit to our bowlers for bowling them out cheaply," Duckett said. "If you add 50-60 more, it’s a different game. Limiting Bumrah’s impact was massive."
England captain Ben Stokes hailed the team’s attitude and execution. "Awesome Test to be part of. Chasing a big total on day five is always special. Duckett’s stand with Crawley set us up brilliantly," he said.
The second Test begins July 2 in Birmingham, with India needing a quick turnaround.
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