Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar discussed India’s performance on Day 5 of the 1st Test against England, where the team faced a challenging situation. England recovered to reach 181/0 before rain intervened. Ultimately, England chased down the remaining runs, securing the victory and gaining an early lead in the series.
Manjrekar assessed the match dynamics, stating, “Are England suddenly favourites? Before the session, I had it at 70-30 in India’s favour. After this, I’d call it 50-50. Not dramatically down to 30-70, because we still have the Jasprit Bumrah factor and England’s unpredictable weather. The pitch had gone to sleep-it had nothing to do with how India bowled. Even Bumrah got nothing out of it. Maybe it was the heavy roller effect. Hopefully, after lunch, the surface livens up and India can pick up a couple of wickets. But England’s real threat is their temperament in a fourth-innings chase.”
England defeated India in the 1st Test of the five-match series at Headingley, Leeds. The match, which went to the final day, saw England triumph, achieving the second-largest Test chase on English soil, chasing 371 runs while losing only five wickets. Ben Duckett of England scored 149 runs. India made history by being the first team in 148 years of Test cricket to have five centurions in a match but still lose. Rishabh Pant scored centuries in both innings, and Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and KL Rahul also hit centuries, though their efforts were not enough. Consequently, Gill lost his first Test as captain.