Day 4 of the first Test between India and England at Headingley ended with the match finely poised, as England finished at 21/0, chasing a daunting target of 371 runs.

India, who had earlier taken control thanks to brilliant centuries from KL Rahul (121) and Rishabh Pant (118), were eventually bowled out for 364, setting England a target that only 13 teams in Test history have successfully chased.

Rahul and Pant steal show

Despite building a strong position earlier in the day with a commanding 195-run partnership between Rahul and Pant, India’s innings once again ended in a collapse. After suffering a 7/41 collapse in the first innings, the hosts were guilty of another late-innings slide, losing 6 wickets for just 31 runs. What looked like a 450+ total crumbled to 364, giving England a glimmer of hope.

England’s openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett negotiated the six overs before stumps without much fuss, finishing the day at 21/0. However, with 350 runs still to chase on Day 5, the challenge ahead remains steep.

Interestingly, Headingley is the only venue in Test history to witness two successful fourth-innings chases of over 350 – Australia’s 404-run chase in 1948, and England’s famous 359-run effort in 2019, both against each other. With this context, the target is not entirely out of reach, but will require something extraordinary from England’s batters.

As the final day looms, India’s bowlers will look to exploit the pitch conditions and pressure the English batting lineup, while England will hope for another historic Headingley miracle. The stage is set for a thrilling finish.

Playing XIs

India playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.

England playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes (captain), Chris Woakes, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson.