HEADINGLEY, England (Kashmir English): The Indian cricket team bagged an unwanted cricket record after losing the first Test against England here, as they became the first team in Test cricket’s 148-year history to lose a Test match despite scoring five centuries.
No doubt, the Indian national team made an entry into the records books but not the way they would have wanted.
At Headingley, Leeds, Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), Shubman Gill (147), and Rishabh Pant (134) all scored centuries in the first innings. Pant (118) and KL Rahul (137) did it again in the second. And yet, India couldn’t snatch victory from England.
The previous Test record
The previous record for a team losing a Test match with most centuries was four, bagged by Australia against England in Melbourne in 1929, almost a century — and exactly 96 years ago.
On 11 other occasions, teams scored three centuries but still lost. Shubman Gill men’s collapse, despite such strong batting performances, has raised questions about their bowling and tactical approach.
Opener Ben Duckett’s brisk century helped England chase down a daunting 371-run target to beat India by five wickets.
Joe Root (unbeaten 53 off 84 deliveries) and Smith (44 not out from 55 balls) were on the crease who gathered the victory for England.
For India, Thakur and Krishna picked up two wickets each, while Jadeja chipped in with one scalp.
