LEEDS: A superb unbeaten century from Ollie Pope helped drag England back into the first Test against India at Headingley on Saturday, with the home side closing day two on 209-3, 262 runs behind the touring side.

India were cruising late in the morning session on 430-3, only to be all out for 471, England taking the last seven wickets in an hour either side of lunch to give themselves hope of mounting a disappointing day one.

In reply, in more difficult, overcast conditions, the highest-ranked Test bowler in the world, Jasprit Bumrah, struck to remove England opener Zak Crawley for four before Ben Duckett and Pope steadied the ship to the delight of the home crowd.

Bumrah broke their 122-run second-wicket partnership when he bowled Duckett for 62, before Joe Root became the Indian dangerman’s next victim moments after Pope had reached his second successive Test ton.

Root was caught at slip for 28 and Harry Brook was very fortunate to survive in the final over of the day when he was caught at mid-wicket off a Bumrah no ball.

India had been threatening a score in excess of 500 earlier Saturday after Rishabh Pant (134) joined opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shubman Gill as one of three batsmen to make hundreds in the innings.

But a collapse either side of lunch saw India lose their last seven wickets for 41 runs inside 12 overs.

England captain Ben Stokes led from the front with an economical 4-66 in 20 overs, while fast bowler Josh Tongue wrapped up the innings on his way to 4-86.

India resumed on their overnight 359-3, with Gill 127 not out and Pant unbeaten on 65.

Gill, in his first innings as India skipper since succeeding the retired Rohit Sharma, surpassed his previous highest Test score of 128 with a classic off-drive for four against Chris Woakes.

Pant, by contrast went to a hundred in spectacular style, the wicketkeeper charging down the pitch to Shoaib Bashir before hoisting the off-spinner high over deep midwicket for six despite one hand coming off the bat.

The 27-year-old then celebrated his century with an acrobatic somersault.

Pant’s seventh hundred in 44 Tests, and fourth against England, came off 146 balls including 10 fours and four sixes in a typically aggressive innings.

The pair were in complete command until Gill’s mistimed pick-up shot off Bashir flew straight to deep square leg as the 25-year-old skipper fell for 147, having faced 227 balls including 19 fours and one six.

Gill’s exit ended a partnership of 209 in 49 overs with Pant and opened the door for a flurry of wickets to give England hope.

Nair, who six years ago made an unbeaten triple-hundred against England, fell for a duck when brilliantly caught by a diving Pope at extra cover off Stokes.

Pant, having played a succession of extraordinary strokes, was lbw offering no shot to Tongue to end an innings that featured 84 runs in boundaries before the paceman polished off the tail.

Scoreboard

INDIA (1st Innings, overnight 359-3):
Y. Jaiswal b Stokes101
K.L. Rahul c Root b Carse42
S. Sudharsan c Smith b Stokes0
S. Gill c Tongue b Bashir147
R. Pant lbw b Tongue134
K. Nair c Pope b Stokes0
R. Jadeja b Tongue11
S. Thakur c Smith b Stokes1
J. Bumrah c Brook b Tongue0
M. Siraj not out 3
P. Krishna b Tongue 1

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-14, NB-9, W-2, PEN-5)31
TOTAL (all out, 113 overs)471
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-91 (Rahul), 2-92 (Sudharsan), 3-221 (Jaiswal), 4-430 (Gill), 5-447 (Nair), 6-453 (Pant), 7-454 (Thakur), 8-458 (Bumrah), 9-469 (Jadeja), 10-471 (Krishna)
BOWLING: Woakes 24-4-103-0 (4nb); Carse 22-5-96-1 (3nb, 1w); Tongue 20-0-86-4 (1nb); Stokes 20-2-66-4 (1nb, 1w); Bashir 27-6-100-1

ENGLAND (1st Innings):
Z. Crawley c Nair b Bumrah4
B. Duckett b Bumrah62
O. Pope not out100
J. Root c Nair b Bumrah28
H. Brook not out0

EXTRAS (LB-7, NB-7, W-1)15
TOTAL (for three wkts, 49 overs)209
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-4 (Crawley), 2-126 (Duckett), 3-206 (Root)
STILL TO BAT: B. Stokes, J. Smith, C. Woakes, J. Tongue, B. Carse, S. Bashir
BOWLING: Bumrah 13-2-48-3 (4nb); Siraj 14-0-50-0 (1nb); Krishna 10-0-56-0 (1w); Jadeja 9-2-25-0; Thakur 3-0-23-0 (2nb)

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2025