From dominance to defeat: India's fielding fails, batting collapses in Headingley

Leeds [UK] June 25 (ANI): Shubman Gill's first day as captain of the Test match had the perfect start. Opting to bat first, India racked up 369/3 by stumps on Day 1, with Gill himself registering his first century outside Asia. Yet, four days later, it ended in bitter disappointment. England chased down 371 in the fourth innings, sealing a five-wicket win, as per Wisden.

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India were in command for significant stretches, but couldn't hold their nerve when it mattered most. England, in contrast, stayed patient, seized crucial moments, and walked away with a memorable win.

The old adage says "catches win matches," one dropped chance rarely decides a game but when you spill close to ten, it just might.

Both sides were guilty of lapses in the field at Headingley, a notoriously tricky venue for catching, but India's mistakes proved costlier. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the main offender, putting down at least four catches across both innings, including key chances of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Harry Brook. Each of them capitalised, Pope added 46 runs after being dropped, Duckett 51 and 52 in his two innings, and Brook 16 in the first after a reprieve.

Other missed opportunities only compounded India's woes. Jadeja dropped one at backward point, Pant fumbled a chance off Brook, and Sai Sudharsan misjudged one too. Add to that a critical no-ball from Bumrah, which cost Brook's wicket when he was on zero, a moment that turned costly as the match tightened.

India made history with the bat, for the wrong reasons. For the first time ever, a team lost a Test despite scoring five individual hundreds. The contributions came from Jaiswal (101), Gill (147), Pant (134 and 118), and KL Rahul (137). It was a landmark achievement, but ultimately in vain.

The centuries laid the foundation, but none of the batters stayed long enough to bat England out of the contest. Once the centurions were dismissed, India collapsed. From 430/3, they folded for 471 in the first innings. In the second, they went from 333/4 to 364 all out. These sudden implosions, starting with Gill's dismissal in the first innings and Pant's in the second, undid much of the good work.

What made things worse was the non-existent contribution from India's tail. The last four batters managed just 9 runs combined across both innings, 1, 0, 3, and 1 in the first, and 4, 0, 0, 0 in the second. England's No. 8-11, by comparison, added a vital 72 runs in their only innings. In a tight Test, that margin proved crucial.

India's team selection also raised eyebrows. Shardul Thakur was included as a fourth seamer and batting option at No.8, but barely featured with the ball. He wasn't brought on until the 40th over in the first innings, and bowled just six overs, conceding over six per over. While he did make a brief impact in the second innings with two quick wickets.

Given his limited use, India might have been better off selecting someone like Nitish Kumar Reddy for batting depth, or Kuldeep Yadav for added spin and control.

Despite all this, India still had the upper hand heading into the final day. A 371-run target on a Day 5 pitch, with rain looming and the run rate hovering around four, seemed more than defendable but England, true to their new identity, didn't just chase, they Bazballed it down.

Ben Duckett led the way with a fearless century (149), including reverse sweeps against the rough to negate Jadeja. Zak Crawley (65) and Joe Root (53*) chipped in with fifties, and debutant Jamie Smith finished the job with flair. Perhaps India could have been more flexible with their tactics, quicker with their field adjustments. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)