The China Mail - England rally after Pant heroics to set up thrilling finish to India opener

England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett survived a potentially tricky six-over spell to take England to 21-0 at stumps, with the hosts now needing a further 350 runs to go 1-0 up in this five-match series.

Swashbuckling wicketkeeper Pant, who made 134 in the first innings, completed a 130-ball century, including 13 fours and two sixes on the fourth afternoon before falling for 118.

Pant's dismissal ended a stand of 195 with KL Rahul that started with the match in the balance when India were 92-3 in their second innings.

Rahul went on to make 137 but from the relative safety of 333-4, India lost their last six wickets for 31 runs as they slumped to 364 all out, with fast bowler Josh Tongue doing the bulk of the damage in a burst of three wickets in four balls.

India also collapsed in the first innings. Despite hundreds from captain Shubman Gill, Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, they were dismissed for 471 after losing their last seven wickets for 41 runs.

The outstanding Jasprit Bumrah, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, took five wickets in England's first-innings 465 and will be the danger man for the tourists in the decisive final innings of the match.

However, England reached a target of 378 -- their record successful fourth-innings chase in Test cricket -- against a Bumrah-led India attack at Edgbaston three years ago.

If England do make 371, it will be the second-highest winning fourth-innings chase in a Test at Headingley, surpassing the 362-9 they made against Australia in 2019 when captain Ben Stokes sealed a dramatic Ashes win with an unbeaten century.

Pant is just the second wicketkeeper in Test history to score hundreds in both innings of the same match following Andy Flower's scores of 142 and 199 not out for Zimbabwe against South Africa in 2001.

After a morning session in which India skipper Gill was the only batsman dismissed, Rahul and Pant upped the tempo in their contrasting styles.

Pant completed an 83-ball fifty before driving Shoaib Bashir for two soaring sixes in three balls.

- Rahul ton -

Rahul took 202 balls to reach his century, featuring 13 fours, with a trademark cover-drive -- his ninth hundred in 59 Tests.

Pant, severely injured in a life-threatening car crash in December 2022, was stuck in the 90s before a quick single took him to a 130-ball century featuring 13 fours and two sixes.

India great Sunil Gavaskar, watching from the stands, encouraged Pant to mark this century with the familiar somersault with which he had marked his first-innings hundred, but this time Pant celebrated in more conventional style.

Rahul eventually played on to Brydon Carse before Tongue dismissed Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj with successive deliveries.

Bumrah survived the hat-trick but was bowled next ball by Tongue with Prasidh Krishna out for a duck as well when he holed out off Bashir to end the innings.

S.Wilson--ThChM