<p>Leeds: India, perhaps, faced the toughest examination of the opening Headingley Test, but <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/k-l-rahul">KL Rahul</a> and <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/pant-becomes-second-wicketkeeper-in-history-to-score-hundreds-in-each-innings-of-a-test-3599180">Rishabh Pant stood up</a> and delivered like seniors are supposed to, smashing brilliant centuries to leave the visitors in a great position to push for a famous victory here on Monday.</p><p>Up against a charged-up England pace attack in cold, windy conditions with the match on the line, where mistakes could potentially turn catastrophic, former skipper Rahul (137, 247b, 18x4) and current vice-captain Pant (118, 140b, 15x4, 3x6) fought like battle-hardened soldiers with centuries of the highest quality on day four to power India to 364 all out.</p><p>Their exceptional efforts saw England being set an improbable target of 371 and the hosts were 21/0 at stumps. Given their all-in or nothing approach, England will strive for victory as much as India, setting the stage for a cracking climax, provided the rain forecast for the final day stays away. </p><p>Rahul and Pant joined forces after just seven balls when captain Shubman Gill chopped one onto his stumps, leaving India in a bit of a spot at 92/3. It was just the start England dreamt about, and their largely inexperienced pace attack smelt a great opportunity to turn the screws on the transitioning India. Conditions were ripe for swing bowling with the chill in the air, and the pitch too providing assistance with some uneven bounce.</p>.Ind VS Eng Test: Rishabh Pant makes effortless switch.<p>First, Chris Woakes, their most experienced pacer with a reputation for producing game-changing spells, and the young Brydon Carse breathed fire. They kept going at Rahul and Pant, testing their defences and patience multiple times with good old-fashioned fast bowling. Then Ben Stokes and Josh Tongue too joined in the action, the duo continuing all the good work of Woakes and Carse. </p><p>Even spinner Shoaib Bashir, who normally is easy fodder for batters of Rahul and Pant’s quality, also bowled smartly to make life difficult for the duo. Well aware he would be considered the release bowler, Bashir kept dangling those carrots in the hope Rahul and Pant would go big and hole out in the deep, but the Indian duo managed to tide through that phase in their own contrasting methods.</p><p>While the 33-year-old Rahul was class personified, bringing out his old-school elegance to the fore to blunt England, the 27-year-old Pant typically sent heartbeats soaring in the dressing room and the stands. Having got a century in the first innings, he attempted some outrageous shots but with conditions being completely different, he mistimed most of them and looked in danger of getting out.</p><p>Pant quickly realised his mistakes and the lifelines he got. He admonished himself and got his act together. He started to trust his defence a lot more and in the company of Rahul, began to focus on rebuilding. The duo were just determined to take lunch without any damage and they did so at a snail’s pace with 63 runs coming in 24.1 overs in the morning session — the first time run-rate had dipped below 3.5 in the fast-paced Test.</p><p>As the innings wore on, they began to gain in confidence. And as the confidence started to grow, the runs began to flow. Rahul kept unleashing his gorgeous cover drives and cuts while Pant batted like how he normally does, stepping down and depositing the balls into the stands. </p><p>Rahul was the first to get to his century — his ninth and second in England — that should hold him in good stead ahead of an important series, considering all the ups and downs he’s endured in his career. Prone to throwing away starts very often, Rahul was concentration personified in this innings, determined from the word go to make this opportunity count.</p><p>Then, after 26 balls in the nervous 90s where he had gotten out seven times, Pant brought up a history-making eighth Test century. He became just the second wicketkeeper in the world after Andy Flower to score centuries in each innings of a Test. The magnanimity of the knock saw a joyous Sunil Gavaskar requesting the southpaw to do the somersault celebration from the stands, but he smilingly gestured ‘next time’.</p><p><strong>Scoreboard</strong></p><p>INDIA (I Innings): 471</p><p>ENGLAND (I Innings): 465</p><p>INDIA (II Innings, O/n: 90/2):</p><p>Jaiswal c Smith b Carse 4</p><p>(11b, 1x4)</p><p>Rahul b Carse 137</p><p>(247b, 18x4)</p><p>Sudharsan c Crawley b Stokes 30 </p><p>(48b, 4x4)</p><p>Gill b Carse 8</p><p>(16b, 1x4)</p><p>Pant c Crawley b Bashir 118</p><p>(140b, 15x4, 3x6)</p><p>Nair c&b Woakes 20</p><p>(54b, 3x4)</p><p>Jadeja (not out) 25</p><p>(40b, 2x4, 1x6)</p><p>Thakur c Root b Tongue 4</p><p>(12b)</p><p>Siraj c Smith b Tongue 0</p><p>(1b)</p><p>Bumrah b Tongue 0</p><p>(2b)</p><p>Prasidh c Tongue b Bashir 0</p><p>(11b)</p><p>Extras (B-5, LB-4, W-3, NB-6) 18</p><p>TOTAL (all out, 96 overs) 364 </p><p>Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Jaiswal), 2-82 (Sudharsan), 3-92 (Gill), 4-287 (Pant), 5-333 (Rahul), 6-335 (Nair), 7-349 (Thakur), 8-349 (Siraj), 9-349 (Bumrah).</p><p>Bowling: Woakes 19-4-45-1 (nb-1), Carse 19-2-80-3 (w-1, nb-2), Tongue 18-2-72-3 (w-2, nb-1), Bashir 22-1-90-2, Stokes 15-2-47-1 (w-2), Root 3-0-21-0.</p><p>ENGLAND (II Innings):</p><p>Crawley (batting) 12</p><p>(25b, 2x4)</p><p>Duckett (batting) 9</p><p>(11b)</p><p>TOTAL (for no loss, 6 overs) 21</p><p>Bowling: Bumrah 3-0-9-0, Siraj 2-1-9-0, Jadeja 1-0-3-0.</p>
<p>Leeds: India, perhaps, faced the toughest examination of the opening Headingley Test, but <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/k-l-rahul">KL Rahul</a> and <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/pant-becomes-second-wicketkeeper-in-history-to-score-hundreds-in-each-innings-of-a-test-3599180">Rishabh Pant stood up</a> and delivered like seniors are supposed to, smashing brilliant centuries to leave the visitors in a great position to push for a famous victory here on Monday.</p><p>Up against a charged-up England pace attack in cold, windy conditions with the match on the line, where mistakes could potentially turn catastrophic, former skipper Rahul (137, 247b, 18x4) and current vice-captain Pant (118, 140b, 15x4, 3x6) fought like battle-hardened soldiers with centuries of the highest quality on day four to power India to 364 all out.</p><p>Their exceptional efforts saw England being set an improbable target of 371 and the hosts were 21/0 at stumps. Given their all-in or nothing approach, England will strive for victory as much as India, setting the stage for a cracking climax, provided the rain forecast for the final day stays away. </p><p>Rahul and Pant joined forces after just seven balls when captain Shubman Gill chopped one onto his stumps, leaving India in a bit of a spot at 92/3. It was just the start England dreamt about, and their largely inexperienced pace attack smelt a great opportunity to turn the screws on the transitioning India. Conditions were ripe for swing bowling with the chill in the air, and the pitch too providing assistance with some uneven bounce.</p>.Ind VS Eng Test: Rishabh Pant makes effortless switch.<p>First, Chris Woakes, their most experienced pacer with a reputation for producing game-changing spells, and the young Brydon Carse breathed fire. They kept going at Rahul and Pant, testing their defences and patience multiple times with good old-fashioned fast bowling. Then Ben Stokes and Josh Tongue too joined in the action, the duo continuing all the good work of Woakes and Carse. </p><p>Even spinner Shoaib Bashir, who normally is easy fodder for batters of Rahul and Pant’s quality, also bowled smartly to make life difficult for the duo. Well aware he would be considered the release bowler, Bashir kept dangling those carrots in the hope Rahul and Pant would go big and hole out in the deep, but the Indian duo managed to tide through that phase in their own contrasting methods.</p><p>While the 33-year-old Rahul was class personified, bringing out his old-school elegance to the fore to blunt England, the 27-year-old Pant typically sent heartbeats soaring in the dressing room and the stands. Having got a century in the first innings, he attempted some outrageous shots but with conditions being completely different, he mistimed most of them and looked in danger of getting out.</p><p>Pant quickly realised his mistakes and the lifelines he got. He admonished himself and got his act together. He started to trust his defence a lot more and in the company of Rahul, began to focus on rebuilding. The duo were just determined to take lunch without any damage and they did so at a snail’s pace with 63 runs coming in 24.1 overs in the morning session — the first time run-rate had dipped below 3.5 in the fast-paced Test.</p><p>As the innings wore on, they began to gain in confidence. And as the confidence started to grow, the runs began to flow. Rahul kept unleashing his gorgeous cover drives and cuts while Pant batted like how he normally does, stepping down and depositing the balls into the stands. </p><p>Rahul was the first to get to his century — his ninth and second in England — that should hold him in good stead ahead of an important series, considering all the ups and downs he’s endured in his career. Prone to throwing away starts very often, Rahul was concentration personified in this innings, determined from the word go to make this opportunity count.</p><p>Then, after 26 balls in the nervous 90s where he had gotten out seven times, Pant brought up a history-making eighth Test century. He became just the second wicketkeeper in the world after Andy Flower to score centuries in each innings of a Test. The magnanimity of the knock saw a joyous Sunil Gavaskar requesting the southpaw to do the somersault celebration from the stands, but he smilingly gestured ‘next time’.</p><p><strong>Scoreboard</strong></p><p>INDIA (I Innings): 471</p><p>ENGLAND (I Innings): 465</p><p>INDIA (II Innings, O/n: 90/2):</p><p>Jaiswal c Smith b Carse 4</p><p>(11b, 1x4)</p><p>Rahul b Carse 137</p><p>(247b, 18x4)</p><p>Sudharsan c Crawley b Stokes 30 </p><p>(48b, 4x4)</p><p>Gill b Carse 8</p><p>(16b, 1x4)</p><p>Pant c Crawley b Bashir 118</p><p>(140b, 15x4, 3x6)</p><p>Nair c&b Woakes 20</p><p>(54b, 3x4)</p><p>Jadeja (not out) 25</p><p>(40b, 2x4, 1x6)</p><p>Thakur c Root b Tongue 4</p><p>(12b)</p><p>Siraj c Smith b Tongue 0</p><p>(1b)</p><p>Bumrah b Tongue 0</p><p>(2b)</p><p>Prasidh c Tongue b Bashir 0</p><p>(11b)</p><p>Extras (B-5, LB-4, W-3, NB-6) 18</p><p>TOTAL (all out, 96 overs) 364 </p><p>Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Jaiswal), 2-82 (Sudharsan), 3-92 (Gill), 4-287 (Pant), 5-333 (Rahul), 6-335 (Nair), 7-349 (Thakur), 8-349 (Siraj), 9-349 (Bumrah).</p><p>Bowling: Woakes 19-4-45-1 (nb-1), Carse 19-2-80-3 (w-1, nb-2), Tongue 18-2-72-3 (w-2, nb-1), Bashir 22-1-90-2, Stokes 15-2-47-1 (w-2), Root 3-0-21-0.</p><p>ENGLAND (II Innings):</p><p>Crawley (batting) 12</p><p>(25b, 2x4)</p><p>Duckett (batting) 9</p><p>(11b)</p><p>TOTAL (for no loss, 6 overs) 21</p><p>Bowling: Bumrah 3-0-9-0, Siraj 2-1-9-0, Jadeja 1-0-3-0.</p>