Hosts trail by 323 as Pope, Root steady response after early blows on Day 2
India closed Day 2 of the first Test firmly in control, after piling up 471 runs at Headingley and reducing England to 148 for 2 in reply by stumps.
England faces an uphill climb, still trailing by 323 runs with eight wickets remaining. The visitors’ top-order trio of Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Yashasvi Jaiswal each scored centuries to power India’s commanding total, while Ben Stokes and Josh Tongue shared eight wickets between them.
Jasprit Bumrah set the tone for India’s defense immediately. In his first over, he removed Zak Crawley with a sharp delivery that edged behind. He later returned to bowl Ben Duckett for 62 with a delivery that kept low and crashed into the stumps.
Ollie Pope, who reached a confident half-century, was dropped on 60 by Jaiswal in the slips. Joe Root, who survived an lbw decision on review when on 7, looked composed after a shaky start and helped rebuild with Pope. The pair had added 85 runs for the third wicket by the time bad light ended play at 37.1 overs.
India’s first innings was built on resilience and fluency. Gill led with 147 runs, Jaiswal contributed 101, and Pant accelerated the innings with a blistering 134. Their dominance against both pace and spin gave India full control through five sessions.
Ben Stokes led England’s bowling with 4 for 66, and Josh Tongue backed him up with 4 for 86. Despite their efforts, the visitors’ batters had already done the damage.
England now enters Day 3 needing a steady stand and a significant score from its middle order to stay in the contest.
“It was important to fight back after tea,” said Pope during a post-session interview. “There’s still a long way to go in this match. The goal is to stay out there and put runs on the board.”
India’s bowlers, meanwhile, maintained disciplined lines through the final session. Though wicketless after Duckett’s dismissal, their intensity never dropped. Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj tested the batters with short spells, while Bumrah remained the primary threat.
England must now bat deep to avoid following on and shift momentum. With Root and Pope set, the third day could decide whether the home side stays alive or falls further behind.
Play resumes tomorrow at 11:00 AM local time.
