Josh Tongue reveals the plans of England on day 5 of the 1st Leeds test

England pacer Josh Tongue has made it clear that there’s only one result his team is chasing on Day 5 of the Leeds Test against India: victory. Chasing a steep 371, the hosts moved to 21 without loss at stumps on Day 4, and despite the scoreboard pressure and the deteriorating surface, Tongue says England’s mindset under Ben Stokes remains unchanged. They have been ambassadors of attacking cricket, which is absolutely England need on Tuesday.

“[We will] Just go for the victory. This is the clear message in the locker room“Said Tongue, who played his role in the conclusion of the second rounds of India, taking three counters in one. “It is simply a question of being as positive as possible. They will sometimes play well tomorrow, but it is crucial that we absorb this little pressure and that we repeat it. I do not see why we cannot hunt this.”

England’s Bazball philosophy under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum has produced just one draw in their tenure of 36 Tests. That game was also the rain-marred Ashes game in 2023 at Manchester. And even with weather potentially affecting play on Tuesday, Tongue insisted England won’t be playing for safety.

KL Rahul expects a result too, just not the one England want

KL Rahul, who was India’s standout batter with a composed 137 in the second innings, echoed Tongue’s confidence in a result but from India’s point of view. “There’s definitely going to be a result,” Rahul 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 10 wickets.”

Having batted for over four hours on Day 4, Rahul knows just how challenging the surface has become. “I didn’t feel set at any given stage. The wicket’s taken a beating and might break even more tomorrow. We know their style — aggressive, counterattacking — so we’ll keep that in mind with our fields and lengths.”

India’s 364 in the second innings came despite another lower-order collapse, where they lost their last four wickets for just 15 runs. While it denied them a chance to bat England entirely out of the game, Rahul chose to focus on the broader gains. “Yes, ideally we would’ve wanted 40–50 more,” he admitted. “But the positive is that we’ve crossed 350 in both innings. That was one of our goals before the series — to post big first-innings scores regularly.”