India drop eight catches worth 250 runs as Ben Duckett’s 149 and Joe Root’s unbeaten 53 lead England to stunning five-wicket win in the first Test at Headingley.
Leeds [UK], June 26 — India’s opening Test against England at Headingley ended in a stinging five-wicket defeat on Tuesday, largely due to a spate of missed catching opportunities that allowed the hosts to chase down a massive 371-run target. Dropping as many as eight crucial catches across both innings, India gifted England approximately 250 runs — a total that ultimately made the difference in a game where every lapse counted. The worst offender was opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who shelled four critical chances, turning the tide firmly in England’s favour on their home turf.
Ben Duckett’s blazing 149, Joe Root’s composed 53* and Jamie Smith’s aggressive 44* powered England to one of their most memorable run chases at Headingley, as India failed to convert vital chances into breakthroughs.
The trouble began early in England’s first innings when Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped Duckett on 11 in just the fifth over. Duckett went on to score 62, only getting dismissed nearly 24 overs later. Two overs after that drop, even India’s sharpest fielder Ravindra Jadeja spilled another catch, giving Duckett a second reprieve at 15.
Jaiswal’s woes continued in the 31st over when he missed a key opportunity off Ollie Pope, who was on 60 at the time. Pope capitalized, stretching his innings for another 20 overs and bringing up a valuable 106.
India’s catching woes extended to their wicketkeeper as well — in the 72nd over, Rishabh Pant dropped Harry Brook when he was batting on 46. Brook narrowly missed out on a century, falling later on 99. Jaiswal’s nightmare in the field wasn’t over; he dropped Brook again at 82 in the 85th over, allowing the middle-order batter to push England closer to the target.
The pattern repeated itself with debutant Sai Sudharsan, who dropped Jamie Smith on 19 in the 72nd over. Smith added 21 more runs to his tally before walking back with a critical 40. In the second innings, Jasprit Bumrah missed a return catch off his own bowling to dismiss Zak Crawley on 38. Crawley added another 27 runs before finally departing for 65.
Jaiswal’s record fourth dropped catch came at a crucial juncture when he spilled Duckett on 97. The England opener went on to hammer 149, cementing India’s fate.
With such costly lapses on the field, India handed England the edge on a platter in a match that was otherwise competitive in both batting and bowling. As pressure mounts on the Indian side, fielding will likely be under intense scrutiny heading into the rest of the series.