Anger, frustration and a bit of negativity started to creep in among Indian cricketers as Joe Root and Ben Stokes to England close to the 371-run target on Day 5 of the first Test at Headingley in Leeds. Ravindra Jadeja, who was in the middle of an excellent over, nearly dismissing Root twice off successive deliveries, was livid with Shardul Thakur after the all-rounder’s lacklustre effort in the field leaked three runs in the final session on Tuesday.
In the fourth ball of the 62nd over, Jadeja, who had beaten Root’s outside edge with a peach of a delivery in the previous ball and nearly trapped him LBW before that, tossed one up to the former England captain, inviting the drive. Root was up for it and drove towards mid on, where Shardul Thakur overran the ball and slipped. What should have been a couple at best turned out to be three runs as Shardul took his own sweet time to get up and pick up the ball.
This is what angered Jadeja, who screamed at Shardul and hurled a mouthful at him for his poor effort. Shardul, for his part, reacted and tried to explain that he slipped. Root and Stokes were aware of the situation to pinch an extra run. A fuming Jadeja went back to his mark.
Jadeja sets high standards in the field and his reaction was on the expected lines, as a better effort from all fielders was desirable in that situation. India have been poor in the field in this Test match. Opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal alone has dropped four catches including two innings. Jadeja himself dropped Ben Duckett in the first innings.
Duckett was dropped again when he was on 98 in the second innings. The left-hander went on to hit 149 off 170 balls in a dazzling display of strokeplay.
Resuming on 21 without loss, England’s openers set the tone with a disciplined yet enterprising partnership. Crawley was measured, taking 111 balls for his half-century—his slowest in Test cricket—while Duckett played with characteristic flair. The left-hander survived a major scare on 97 when Yashasvi Jaiswal spilt a top-edged pull off Mohammed Siraj, allowing Duckett to notch up his sixth Test hundred. He went on to score a scintillating 149, full of cuts, drives, and an audacious reverse-swept six off Ravindra Jadeja.
India’s frontline bowlers, particularly Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj, kept probing, but the England openers weathered the storm effectively through the morning and early afternoon, even as a light drizzle briefly interrupted play.
Prasidh Krishna Strikes Twice After Break
The breakthrough finally came after a short rain delay, courtesy of the relatively inexperienced Prasidh Krishna. In just his fourth Test, Krishna showed poise and accuracy to remove the well-set Crawley for 65. One ball after being pulled for four, Crawley edged a fuller delivery to KL Rahul at first slip, giving India the breakthrough they desperately needed.
Krishna then produced a peach of a delivery to castle Ollie Pope for just 8, the ball nipping back sharply to beat the bat. His double-strike rattled England, reducing them from a commanding 188-0 to 206-2 at tea. At that point, Krishna’s figures stood at a creditable 2-69 from 11 overs.
Thakur Turns the Tide Further
Shardul Thakur then delivered a pivotal double-blow that completely shifted the momentum. First, he removed Duckett—who had dominated the day—caught by substitute fielder Nitish Kumar Reddy at short extra cover. Reddy’s sharp catch brought a sigh of relief to an Indian side that had already endured multiple dropped chances.
Off the very next ball, Thakur sent back Harry Brook, who edged a leg-side delivery to Rishabh Pant. Brook, out for 99 in the first innings, fell for a golden duck this time. Although Ben Stokes managed to survive the hat-trick ball, England had been reduced to 253-4 in a flash, their once-dominant position now precarious.
