England chased down a massive 371-run target and trounced India by 5 wickets on Tuesday after the tourists batted well in both innings of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. England chased down the target with 14 overs to spare under overcast conditions, making it the highest successful run chase at Leeds in 77 years after Australia’s 404 against England in 1948. This was, meanwhile, the third-highest successful run chase in England after the hosts defeated India by 7 wickets in 2022, chasing down 378 in a rescheduled Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

When it was assumed that things were in India’s favour since the bowlers had ample runs to defend and take wickets on a favourable fifth-day pitch, Indian bowlers failed to fire. They appeared to be leaky instead.

A 188-run opening-wicket partnership between Zak Crawley (65) and Ben Duckett (149) laid the foundation of England's chase. With Joe Root scoring an unbeaten 53, the final flourish came in style when Jamie Smith hit a towering six off Ravindra Jadeja over the long-on boundary to finish off in style.

Asked how they made the turnaround despite India scoring five centuries and a total of 835 runs, England captain Ben Stokes said knocking over the Indian lower order batters - 7 for 41 and 6 for 31 in either innings - helped them win the Test.

"It was all about our attitude and commitment, day in and day out. That is what we focused on. Both teams played quality cricket - a great way to start the series," Stokes said at the post-match press conference.

"It was a very good wicket for batting. The way we knocked over the Indian tail was a big reason why we were able to chase down this score," he added.

After Crawley and Duckett overcame a challenging morning session bowled by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna picked up two wickets but proved to be expensive, leaking runs at a 6-plus economy rate. When Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Stokes after tea with 69 runs still needed, there was still brief hope in the Indian camp.

However, Joe Root's unbeaten 53 and Jamie Smith's 44 not out took England home without much hiccup, stealing the show from India. As England go 1-0 up in a long five-Test series, Stokes said they will celebrate the win before turning their focus to the Edgbaston Test, starting July 2. "We are 1-0 up, but there are four more games. We will celebrate and then quickly shift focus to Birmingham," Stokes signed off.