Ben Duckett was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his impressive 149 that helped England chase down a record 371 runs against India at Headingley. This five-wicket win gives England a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series and is one of the best run chases in their Test history. Duckett, who held the innings together with his steady batting, called it a special performance and praised the quality of the match. It was just an incredible game, India played really well. To finish like we did on Day 5 was something else, he said.
England started the final day at 21/0, needing 350 more runs. Duckett mentioned that the plan was straightforward: bat through the day. It was clear this morning – if we batted through, we’d get home, he added. His innings was a mix of patience and smart aggression, especially at the start. He formed key partnerships, particularly with Zak Crawley and then Joe Root. Duckett and Crawley put on a solid 188-run opening stand and added another 47 with Root.
We showed maturity throughout the day and how much winning means to us. At times, we were behind in this game, he said. He also praised the English bowlers for their role in keeping India’s second-innings score low. Big credit to our bowlers who cleaned up the tail quickly. If they had added 50-60 more runs, it would have been a different game, Duckett explained.
Facing India’s top bowler Jasprit Bumrah was tough. Bumrah is world-class, and he did really well in the first innings. Limiting his impact was huge. We handled him pretty well today, Duckett noted. Bumrah didn’t take any wickets in the second innings after a great performance in the first, giving away 57 runs in 19 overs.
Known for his sweep and reverse sweep, Duckett found the latter to be effective against Ravindra Jadeja. It’s tough to play him with a straight bat, so I go for it a lot, especially to get boundaries as the innings goes on, he shared. He pointed out a key moment near the end of the chase when India had a chance after Ben Stokes was out. At the start of the final partnership, it could have been a different game if they got another wicket, but Root stayed calm and kept us steady. Jamie Smith finishing it off was amazing, he said.