Below the line, when the Indian cricket supervisors talk about the English summer of 2025, the headingley test will always be remembered as ‘that Got Ae’. Five Centurion, Domination in three days, England was given a target of 371 in the last day, which is on a tired pitch with Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja in the arsenal and everything suggested victory. But standing on the way was an England team that is brave and believes that previous records do not matter. No, they were not playing the old mindless version of ‘Bajball’. It was a methodical bounce towards a target-the second largest chasing in this ground-like the England range had gone above 1–0, with still to play 15 overs. After controlling a good portion of the first two sessions of the last day with opener Ben Docket (149 off 170 balls) and Zak Crolya scored 188 runs in 42.2 overs, England got upset after a sudden rain break. Prasad Krishna and Shardul Thakur – Two bowlers who were largely disappointed with most parts of the game – suddenly shared four wickets among themselves in quick time and fluttering in the camp. But there was still a lower middle order, something that had reduced India badly in this Test match. While Shubman Gill’s team lost 13 wickets in two innings for 72 runs, the choice of Ben Stokes (33) and Jamie Smith (44) was set to battle India.
And then, one that was root. Root, which is closing on the record of Sachin Tendulkar’s highest test run, was like a monk with a beautiful English afternoon. The tumors and noise of the outside world did not enter their universe. The root simply went about his business in his cool baseless style, with a smile on his face. Jadeja was rough in some way, there was a danger of Bumrah, there was a Prasad Krishna who suddenly got some confidence back, but nothing was affected. Silently and of course, he took England to win, as wicketkeeper Batter Smith played a smart hand, finishing it with Jadeja’s six. While the finishing touching touch of the root was given the touch, it was the first heroines of the first session of Docket and Croly, when they blamed Bumrah, who set the stage for this memorable pursuit. They knew that Bumrah’s first five overs would catch the key of this Test match, and they took great care to them.Quiz: Who is that IPL player? In such a situation, it was on the support artists of Bumrah to get up on the occasion, but neither Sirj, Prasad, Shardul nor Jadeja came to the party. The biggest criminal in the first session was Prasad, which reduced the openers as they completely touched. The fact is that he was bowling both sides of the stump, he did not help the cause of India. Passeman redeemed himself to some extent with improving length in the second session, but was very late. Docket, who scored a luxurious century on a turner in Rajkot a one-and-a-half years ago, made a plan for Jadeja. The left-handed batsman, who is also a quality hockey player, used his drag-flick skills because he was swept away and the left-arm spinner was swept away in some way or the other outside his off-stump. Jadeja did not know where to bowl in Southpow and there was a period in the second session when it seemed that India’s defeat would come very fast. Docket found a life on 98, when Yashsavi Jaiswal dropped him on a deep-circle leg. The opener added another 51 important runs. Through the second session, there was rain-bock midway and the Indian bowlers returned with a plan. Prasad corrected his length and removed the Crowley. He had Oli Pope soon. Docket and Pope also fell. But then, the root shone through the square.
