betvisa liveFans express outrage as England pull off a record-breaking chase to defeat India in the first Test at Headingley

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England stun India with a record chase at Headingley
The Indian side falters despite being brilliant with the bat
- Here’s how fans reacted

England finally came out on top against India in the first Test of the five-match series at Headingley. After five days of intense cricket featuring everything from exceptional batting to gritty bowling, the hosts clinched victory by 5 wickets. The English side delivered a phenomenal performance, despite conceding many runs on a good batting surface, they responded impressively with contributions from all batters.

England stun India with a record chase at Headingley

In the fourth innings, chasing a massive target of 371 runs, the hosts were never truly out of the contest. They began strongly with a phenomenal opening partnership of 188 runs in 256 balls between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, laying a solid foundation for the chase. However, the innings briefly lost momentum before Tea with the fall of quick wickets. But the ever-reliable Joe Root anchored the innings with a composed knock, guiding his side to a memorable victory.

Earlier, in the match, England mounted a remarkable fightback trailing by 471 runs in their first innings. Ollie Pope led the charge with a brisk century, supported by Harry Brook’s heartbreaking 99 and a crucial 38 from all-rounder Chris Woakes down the order. Five of England’s eleven batters crossed the 30-run mark, highlighting a strong collective response.

In the bowling department, pacer Josh Tongue led the attack with an impressive haul of 7 wickets in the match, supported by skipper Ben Stokes. However, the hosts struggled in the spin department, with young Shoaib Bashir conceding too many runs and offering only occasional breakthroughs.

The Indian side falters despite being brilliant with the bat

For India, it was a heartbreaking start to their new chapter in Test cricket. This match marked the first time in Test history that a team lost despite scoring five centuries across both innings. The standout performer with the bat was Rishabh Pant, who scored twin centuries in the match. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul also contributed with composed hundreds.

However, it was in the bowling department where the visitors fell short against England’s strong batting lineup. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, who claimed a fiery five-wicket haul in the first innings, the rest of the bowlers struggled with poor line and length, conceding runs at a significant rate. Additionally, India’s fielding was marked by dropped catches and sloppy efforts in the field. To stay competitive in the series, the team must regroup and address these shortcomings swiftly.

Also WATCH: Ravindra Jadeja’s playful fist gesture with umpire wins hearts on Day 5 of Headingley Test

Here’s how fans reacted:

🚨 INDIA BECOMES THE FIRST TEAM TO LOSS A TEST AFTER SCORING FIVE HUNDREDS 🤯
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns)

Five Hundreds.
Three 130+ scores.
Record breaking back to back centuries.
Bowlers like Bumrah.
371 Target.
Yet we failed.
Was it England's batting masterclass or Indian bowling scam?
— Arjun (@HeyyyArjun)

Defeating Ben Stokes and his team is no cup of tea. Congratulations to England on winning the 1st Test against India.
— εмρεяσя (@EmperorVK)

India becomes the first team in Test cricket history to lose a match after having 5 individual centuries, time to sack – Morne Morkel, T Dilip and and and….. Gambhir from Test side….
— Abhinandan (@Abhinandan_twt)

Tough luck & team. We'll tried. Drop catches & collapses costed us this one.
This team should show a lot of character to recover from here. Wish they do!
— Kishan Kumar (@Kishan_Janasena)

That’s what you get when you pick a team based on performances instead of red ball cricket merit.
— Rajarshi (@DinkinFlickaaa)

Prasidh krishna gave us worst performance in this decade by test bowler …i still don't get the reason of giving him spell when few runs are left to defend ….!!
— Shaquib Nazeer (@NazeerShaquib)

🚨Bumhra bhai tu wapas aaja🚨
Ye team tujhe deserve nhi krti.
— ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴀɪɴ ᴊᴀʀꜱᴜ (@ImJarsu64)

Team India had so many opportunities to siege this game but lost all of them in those 5 days. Top win from England after coming from behind.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan)

To have 4 guys score 5 centuries in the test match and still end up losing shows how little the others contributed.
Also shows how poor was the selection.
— Farhan Khan (@Farhan222)

India's fielding is a big fat joke.
— Aparupa Das (@Aparupa82230919)

Those who are saying captaincy doesn't matter in test cricket. Ajinkya Rahane won us the BGT in 2021 with Net bowlers, a captain always make the difference & Gill will be the fush captain of indian team and he is the original copy of babar
— Ritesh Divedi (@RiteshDivedi09)

"3 Test losses. 3 captains. Same result. It’s not about the leader — it’s about the bowling. Test matches are won by bowlers, not captaincy hype. |
— Nivas Manepalli (@SrinivasManep10)