Explained! How Did India Lost Headingley Test Despite Being in a Winning Position

The India vs England Test series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy began with a thrilling match. The first Test was played at Headingley in Leeds and ended with a big win for England on Day 5. Rain played a cameo during the final day and added more drama, but England stayed strong.

England chased down a huge target of 371 runs and won by 5 wickets, marking one of the best chases in Headingley’s history. It was also a historic match with India registering an infamous record of becoming the first team to score five centuries in a match in a losing cause. No team has ever lost a Test after having five individual centuries across both innings.

Why Did India Lose IND vs ENG Test in Headingley?

1. Too Many Dropped Catches

A popular quote in cricket states that “Catches win matches.” Sadly, India dropped too many catches at Headingley. Shubman Gill and co. dropped six catches in the match, the most by any team in a Test in England in the last 20 years. These mistakes cost India the game.

Among those missed were key players like Ollie Pope and Harry Brook. Pope went on to score 106, and Brook got out for 99. These dropped chances gave England extra runs and confidence. Yashasvi Jaiswal alone dropped three of those six catches. Fielding errors at crucial times made things worse for the Indian team.

2. Lower-Order Batting Collapse

India had a strong start with the bat. They scored big runs and had three players hitting centuries in the first innings. But still, they couldn’t go beyond 500 runs. India were 430 for 3 at one stage. Then came a sudden collapse. They were all out for just 471. The last seven wickets fell for only 41 runs.
In the second innings too, India repeated the same mistake.

They went from 333 for 4 to 364 all out. This meant that India could not set a big target for England. A total of 400+ might have been enough to win. But the lower order couldn’t support the top order. These batting collapses in both innings were a major reason behind the loss.

3. No Support for Jasprit Bumrah

India’s fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was their saving grace in the first innings as he took five wickets for 83 runs. He was accurate, fast, and smart. But the problem was that other bowlers didn’t help him much. The other four bowlers gave away 356 runs for just five wickets. This let England come close to India’s first innings total. Even with Bumrah’s efforts, India could not gain a big lead.

In the second innings, Mohammed Siraj bowled with good pace and got wickets too. But again, India’s other bowlers failed to keep things tight. Prasidh Krishna gave away runs quickly with an economy of 6.1. Shardul Thakur too was expensive, with an economy of 5.1. They bowled loose deliveries and allowed England’s batters to settle. Without pressure from both ends, it was easy for England to chase the target.

IND vs ENG 2nd Test in Birmingham

India Headingley Test performance will hurt them. It was a golden chance to take a 1-0 lead. But they let it slip. England once again showed why they are so dangerous while chasing, especially at home. Their Bazball style worked well for them on a pitch that remained true for almost five days.
The next match of the IND vs ENG Test series 2025 will begin on July 2 at Edgbaston, Birmingham. With four Tests still left, India can bounce back stronger and gain the winning momentum after learning fast from their mistakes. The young Indian team will be eager to make a comeback and will take a lot of positives from the first Test.