Not sure India believed they are going to get Ben Duckett out, planning wasn't right: Steve Harmison
"Ben Duckett played wonderfully well. He believed he was going to play a match-winning knock," Harmison said.
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Ben Duckett scored an elegant half-century in the first innings and a belligerent ton in the second to orchestrate a five-wicket win for England in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, against India in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Chasing a stiff target of 371 in the fourth innings, England needed their in-form opener to step up, and so he did. The southpaw slammed 149 off just 170 balls, belting 21 fours and a solitary six. He finished with a strike rate of 87.64.
Former England speedster Steve Harmison lauded Duckett, mentioning that the Farnborough-born had the belief that he would play a match-winning innings. On the other hand, Harmison noted that India didn't believe they would be able to dismiss Duckett, and their plans for the 30-year-old weren't on point.
“Ben Duckett played wonderfully well. He believed he was going to play a match-winning knock,” Harmison said, speaking to ESPNcricinfo.
“He (Duckett) believed he was going to score runs. He had a lot of positive intent, like he always does. I am not sure India believed they are going to get him out. I don’t think India got their plans right. I don’t think they bowled the right lengths and right lines to him. And, he capitalized on it," added Harmison.
The cricketer-turned-expert said that India failed to stop Duckett from scoring. He also praised England's abilities to pick up singles even on the good balls bowled by the Indian bowlers.
“They didn’t have an answer. They didn’t have a formula to stop him from scoring. They didn’t have a plan and really were rudderless when it came to what their plan was, executing their skill set. Even in the field, they weren’t stopping singles. India’s bowlers were bowling good balls, but England were getting singles,” said Harmison.
India will look to regroup as they have eight days' time ahead of the second Test, which begins on Wednesday, July 2, at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
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