Ben Stokes was a relieved man after England pulled off a brilliant 371-run chase to beat India in the first Test at Headingley, quipping: "It's a good job Test cricket is played over five days."

England were up against it in the opening contest of the five-match series when India reached 430-3 in their first innings.

However, Josh Tongue's heroics kept them to 471 from there, then the bowler excelled again at the tail end of India's second innings as they were limited to 364.

England were left needing 350 for victory on a rain-affected fifth day, and helped by Ben Duckett's masterful 149 off 170 deliveries, they achieved their second-highest chase in Test cricket.

England have only overcome a greater deficit to win a red-ball match in 2022, when they completed a 378-run chase against the same opponents.

Stokes' decision to field first on day one of the match attracted criticism from some pundits, but the England captain believes the result vindicated his choice. 

"It's a good job Test cricket is played over five days," Stokes told BBC Sport. "Imagine thinking that way after day one, before we've even had chance to bat on a wicket...

"You never know what a wicket is going to play like half an hour before any cricket has been on it.

"It looked like there was a lot of top moisture on it, it felt like there was. You do first what you think will give you the best chance of winning the game.

"Headingley generally does quite a lot early on. I thought it was a great chance to potentially nick three or four in the first hour. The opposition are allowed to play well.

"You make a decision, and you don't know what is going to happen. We did what we needed to do in the crucial moments of this game."

371 - By reaching the target of 371, @englandcricket logged their second highest successful run chase in men's Tests; since @Bazmccullum took over in May 2022, England have chased down a target of 250+ six times in the format, as many times as all other teams combined. Bazball. pic.twitter.com/gPx4PEvriq

— OptaJim (@OptaJim) June 24, 2025

England became the first team in first-class history to win a match in which they conceded five centuries to the other team, helped by some ultra-consistent batting.

The hosts only posted three single-figure scores in the match, compared to 11 for India. 

Stokes reserved particular praise for Duckett and Zak Crawley, who put on a 126-run stand for England's first wicket of the second innings.

"To get that far none down was pretty important for us. Zak was able to stay composed, sensing Ducky was getting off to a flier," Stokes added.

"There's no doubt that chasing down totals gives you confidence as a team. Having confidence in this dressing room in being able to win against quality opposition gives us confidence, but we won't always be in that situation. 

"We've got four more games coming up, we'll have to get over the excitement for next week."

The second test, at Edgbaston, starts on July 2, with matches at Lord's, Old Trafford and the Oval to follow.