Ben Stokes picks big reason behind England’s come-from-behind triumph in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

England captain Ben Stokes has highlighted a key factor behind their come-from-behind triumph in the first Test against India. The first match of the five-Test series was played at Headingley, Leeds, with the hosts registering a thrilling five-wicket victory on the fifth day.

England chased down a target of 371 runs to pull off their 10th highest successful run-chase, after having condeded a first-innings lead. Openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett set it up with a brillliant 188-run stand at the top. Duckett went on to slam his sixth Test hundred (149 off 170). In the end, Joe Root remained unbeaten on 53 alongside Jamie Smith (44*) who smashed the winning runs. Skipper Ben Stokes himself made a crucial contribution of 33.

Picking out a big reason for their win, Stokes pointed out that dismissing the Indian tail the way they did helped them chase the score.

"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 said at the post-match press conference (via The Times of India).

India slipped from 430/4 to 471 all-out in the first innings and then from 333/5 to 364 all-out in the second. These collapses allowed England back in the game and eventually win it.

"It was all about our attitude and commitment, day in and day out. That’s what we focussed on. Both teams played quality cricket — a great way to start the series," Stokes added.

Remarkably, India became the first side to lose a Test despite five individual batters scoring hundreds.

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"We'll celebrate and then quickly shift focus" - Ben Stokes

England's chase of 371 was their second highest in Tests and their second highest in the format against India as well. This was also the third successful chase in excess of 350 runs at Headingley.

Talking further about the win, Ben Stokes pointed out that there was much more cricket to be played in the series and that the focus would quickly shift to the second Test.

"We're 1-0 up, but there are four more games. We'll celebrate and then quickly shift focus to Birmingham," he said (as per the aforementioned source).

The teams will now have a week-long break as the second Test, scheduled to be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham, begins on July 2.