The first Test between India and England at Headingley, Leeds is heading for a tense finish. India has set a challenging target of 371 runs, and on the final day, England has made a solid start.

By the end of the first session on Day 5, the hosts had reached 104 without loss, showing strong intent and putting pressure on India’s bowlers.

Leeds: Ground of Historic Chases

While chasing over 350 in the fourth innings of a Test is a rare feat, England has done it before — multiple times at Leeds.

Their most famous success came in the 2019 Ashes, when they chased down 359 runs against Australia, losing 9 wickets in the process. Earlier, in 2001, England chased 315 against the same opponent at this very venue.

These past performances underline the fact that England has the experience and belief to chase down big totals at Headingley, making things difficult for Shubman Gill’s side.

In the current chase, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley have given England a perfect start. Duckett is unbeaten on 57, while Crawley is playing confidently on 40. With all 10 wickets in hand and nearly a full day remaining, the momentum appears to be shifting in England’s favor.

India’s bowling unit hasn’t been very effective apart from Jasprit Bumrah, who picked up five wickets in the first innings. Prasidh Krishna claimed three wickets but conceded runs at a high rate, and others like Shardul Thakur and Siraj have struggled for consistency.

With the pitch still playing well and England’s openers settled, India faces an uphill battle to claim 10 wickets and avoid a possible defeat.

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

England playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Rehan Ahmed, Shoaib Bashir, Josh Tongue.