Jasprit Bumrah couldn’t have scripted a better start for India in England’s reply during the first Test at Headingley. Bowling the very first over of the innings, Bumrah struck with the last ball to send Zak Crawley packing with a beauty that highlighted his supreme control and subtle movement.
Running in from over the wicket, Bumrah angled the delivery into Crawley, who anticipated the ball to tail in. Landing it on a good length around middle and off, the ball straightened just enough after pitching to beat Crawley’s flick. Completely squared up, Crawley could only manage a leading edge. Even Rishabh Pant, who took a step to his left, was fooled by the movement. The ball looped behind the keeper, and Karun Nair, stationed at first slip, completed a fine low catch, triggering early celebrations for India.
𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙨, 𝘽𝙪𝙢𝙧𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙨! 🔥@Jaspritbumrah93 gets the early breakthrough as #ZakCrawley gets caught in slips by #Karun! 👏#ENGvIND 1st Test, Day 2 | Streaming LIVE NOW on JioHotstar 👉 https://t.co/PLSZ49MZ8C pic.twitter.com/yp3i6cqJun
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 21, 2025
Earlier in the day, Josh Tongue turned the game on its head with a fiery spell that pulled England back into the contest. After India resumed at a dominant 395/3, with Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant well set, a score in excess of 550 looked inevitable. But the hosts, led by Tongue’s 4/86, managed to dismiss India for 471, taking the last seven wickets for just 41 runs in a remarkable collapse.
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Despite a strong start to the morning — where Pant brought up his seventh Test hundred and went past MS Dhoni’s tally of six centuries as an Indian wicketkeeper — England clawed their way back. Pant’s century, his third in England, came with flair: a scoop, four sixes including a one-handed maximum off Shoaib Bashir, and even a celebratory somersault.
Gill, who had earlier brought up his career-best 147 with elegant strokes, fell shortly after Pant’s landmark, caught at cover. Karun Nair’s return to red-ball cricket ended in heartbreak with a duck, falling to a brilliant catch by Ollie Pope. As the ball started reversing, Pant found himself in trouble. Josh Tongue’s inswinger trapped him LBW, ending his sublime knock of 134.
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Shardul Thakur and the tail followed suit before lunch, with Tongue wrapping up the innings post-break. He accounted for Bumrah with a delivery that kissed the edge, then bowled Jadeja with a sharp one that came in, and finally cleaned up Prasidh Krishna. England’s bowling resurgence gives them a lifeline, but with the pitch still lively and overcast skies hanging above, India’s pace attack — already one wicket up thanks to Bumrah — will be eager to press their advantage further.
