India bag unwanted record with defeat in England Test series opener

KARACHI: The Indian cricket team made an unwanted entry into the record books after losing the first Test against England at Headingley, they managed to carve its name into the history of cricket, however, not the way they would have wanted.

At Headingley, Leeds, India accomplished what no team in Test cricket's 148-year history has ever done — or would've ever wanted to do. They've become the first time in history of Test cricket to lose a Test match despite scoring five centuries in the game.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), Shubman Gill (147), and Rishabh Pant (134) all flexed their batting muscles in the first innings. Not to be outdone, Pant (118) and KL Rahul (137) did it again in the second. And yet, somehow, India still found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The previous record for most centuries in a losing Test was four, bagged by Australia against England in Melbourne in 1929, almost a century — and exactly 96 years ago.

On 11 other occasions, teams scored three centuries but still lost. India's collapse, despite such strong batting performances, has raised questions about their bowling and tactical approach.

However, India's batting lineup has proven, once again, that records are meant to be broken, even the ones that no one wants. And, this one record is something Indian batter wouldn't love to be credited against their name.

Opening batter Ben Duckett's brisk century helped England chase down a daunting 371-run target to beat India by five wickets.

Joe Root remained unbeaten on 53 off 84 deliveries, while Smith made 44 not out from 55 balls.

For India, Thakur and Krishna picked up two wickets each, while Jadeja chipped in with one scalp.