‘...Indian batting is like a Doberman,’ says Dinesh Karthik | WATCH

The Indian team faced a literal drubbing in the first Test against England at Headingley.

Incidentally, in both Indian innings, the team suffered sudden collapses after the main batters had laid solid foundations.

Social media went berserk as wickets fell like a pack of cards, inviting several memes and trolls lambasting the Gill-led side.

One of the prominent comments that gained traction was that of former Indian legend Dinesh Karthik.

In the post-match presentation, Karthik was heard saying, “I just heard on Twitter someone saying, the Indian batting is like a Doberman dog — the head is good, the middle portion is okay... but there is no tail,” inviting chuckles from fellow presenters.

Ben Duckett's heroics seal record chase for England

Ben Duckett's masterful 149 set the tone for a historic run chase as England chased down the target of 371 to defeat India by five wickets at Headingley. With the win, England took a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series.

Resuming on the final day with all ten wickets intact, England displayed clinical composure throughout the chase. They were well-placed at 269/4 by Tea, with captain Ben Stokes and Joe Root putting together a steady 49-run stand.

England reached the 300-run mark in 66.4 overs, but just after that milestone, Stokes perished for 33, attempting a reverse sweep off Ravindra Jadeja that found Shubman Gill. That proved to be India’s only breakthrough in the final session — England were 302/5.

From there, Joe Root and Jamie Smith took control, guiding England safely to the finish line. The pair added an unbeaten 71-run partnership, showcasing both calmness and flair. Root anchored the innings with an assured 53 off 84 deliveries, striking six boundaries, while Smith added a brisk 44 off 55, sealing the match with a towering six off Jadeja to bring up the winning runs.

England reached the target in just 82 overs, finishing at 373/5.

Knocking Indian tail over quickly twice was among the pivotal moments: Stokes

Notwithstanding the top-order heroics, England captain Ben Stokes credited his bowlers’ ruthless dismantling of India’s lower order — twice in the match — as a pivotal factor in their five-wicket win at Headingley.

While openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley earned praise for their 188-run stand in a record fourth-innings chase of 371, Stokes stressed that the match had swung much earlier when England’s bowlers prevented India from posting a total that might have been unchaseable.

"It was obviously a very good wicket for batting on — the high scores have shown that,” Stokes said at the post-match media interaction.

"But some other pivotal moments in the game — obviously, there will be people who get the headlines here — but the way in which we were able to knock the Indian tail over very quickly on two occasions was also a massive reason why we were able to restrict them to a score that we definitely felt comfortable chasing.

"...we didn’t allow it to get above 450–500, which India could easily have done. I think, as well as skill, there’s been a huge contribution of our attitude and commitment to what we needed to do every single day and every single session,” he said.

India appeared in complete control through large passages of the match, headlined by five individual centuries across both innings.

But a sudden collapse saw them lose their last six wickets for 41 runs, folding for 471 in the first innings. The pattern repeated in the second innings, with the last six wickets falling for just 34 runs.

The battered Indian team now hopes to revive its campaign in the second Test at Edgbaston, starting on July 2. (With inputs from Agencies)