Leeds (UK), June 24 (IANS) England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley batted through the entire first session on the final day of the first Test of Anderson-Tendulkar trophy at Headingley, ensuring their team stayed firmly in the hunt for a record chase of 371.

At lunch, the hosts are well-placed at 117 for no loss, needing 254 more runs in 66 overs with all wickets intact. With conditions overcast and the pitch offering assistance, it was a session of hard graft for India, but they emerged wicketless despite probing spells from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

Duckett (64*) and Crawley (42*) not only registered their fourth century stand together but also became the first English opening pair since Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss to score over 2,000 runs as a duo.

The pair showed early caution, especially against the new ball under floodlights, but began to find fluency once Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur came on. Duckett upped the scoring rate with a flurry of boundaries, bringing up his fifty off just 66 deliveries with a mix of elegant strokes — mainly through cuts and pulls — even as a few adventurous scoops which didn’t come off.

India’s best chance came late in the session when Bumrah induced a leading edge from Crawley, only to put down a sharp one-handed return catch while diving to his left. Earlier, Crawley survived an lbw review from Siraj, with ball-tracking showing the ball would have bounced over leg stump. Though the bowlers maintained pressure, especially Bumrah, the lack of support from the field and missed opportunities kept England in control.

Despite rain being forecast, the first session was uninterrupted, though grey skies and full-beam floodlights made conditions ideal for bowling. However, it was the English openers who made the most of it, setting up a tantalising second and third session where all four results remain possible in what is building up to be a classic finish.

Brief Scores: India 471 and 364 in 96 overs (KL Rahul 137, Rishabh Pant 118; Josh Tongue 3-72, Brydon Carse 3-80) lead England 465 and 117/0 in 30 overs (Zak Crawley 42 not out, Ben Duckett 64 not out) by 254 runs

–IANS

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