Tongue sets England's eyes on prize with 350 more needed for victory

Josh Tongue says that there has been no mention of the word "draw" in the home dressing-room at Headingley, a state of affairs that KL Rahul believes will play into India's hands as England seek to hunt down a target of 371 on the final day of the first Test.

England have drawn only once in their 36 Tests since Ben Stokes took over as captain, when rain washed away the prospect of a result at Old Trafford in the 2023 Ashes. There is a chance that the weather will play a role on the final day in Leeds, too, but the equation otherwise stands at 350 more runs - or ten wickets - required in 90 overs for a positive result.

Tongue said that there was no situation in which England would consider a draw to be a good result, saying, "[We will] just go for the win. That's the clear message in the changing room. It's just [about] being as positive as we can. They're going to bowl well at times tomorrow. It's just crucial we soak up that bit of pressure and reapply it. I don't see why we can't chase that down."

Rahul, who top-scored with 137 in the third innings, echoed Tongue's sentiments, and said that England's attacking approach would suit India's bowlers. "There's definitely going to be a result," he said. "That's what England have said very openly, and their style of cricket suggests that as well. It gives us a good opportunity to pick up ten wickets. We know how they're going to come out and bat on day five.

"The wicket today was a very tricky wicket: I spent a lot of time batting there and I didn't feel set at all at any given stage. The wicket's taken a beating, and tomorrow might break even more… We know their style of cricket, so [we'll] try to keep that in the back of our heads and try to see what lines and lengths we can bowl and how we can get them out."

Rahul also revealed that India had fallen short of the target they were hoping to set, after collapsing from 333 for 4 to 364 all out. "There was a little bit of discussion about how many runs we need on the board or… maybe giving them a few overs to bat in the evening today and see if we can pick up a wicket or two," Rahul said. "Ideally, from the position we were in, we would have wanted at least 40 or 50 runs more."

Tongue said England were "really confident" after seeing out the final six overs of the day. "If you look at our batting line-up, it's very strong. We play a positive brand of cricket. Chasing 371 is going to be a good thing for us to do tomorrow. Getting through that first 30-45 minutes tomorrow is going to be crucial, and then hopefully [we will] get the winning runs."