England’s Ollie Pope put in a fine effort with the bat on Day 3 of the opening Test match against India on Friday, 27 January. Playing on Day 3 of the first Test in Hyderabad, Ollie Pope scored a sensational 148* to give England a fighting chance in the opening Test of the series.
Pope’s innings gave England a 126-run lead against India after Jasprit Bumrah and the spinners had put the visitors in trouble at Lunch. Former England captain Joe Root lauded Pope for his innings and said that the No. 3 batter had played out a masterclass in Hyderabad. This was Pope’s 5th Test century, his first against India.
Root called it a brilliant day of Test cricket for England, who first stopped India from taking a 200-run lead in the first innings and then put in some fine rearguard action with the bat, late in the day.
IND vs ENG, 1st Test: Day 3 Highlights
“It was a brillant day of cricket for England. We were clinical with the ball and made it difficult for India to capitalise on what they did yesterday. Crawley and Duckett have been so good for so long,” Root said on TNT Sports at the end of Day 3’s play.
“Pope has been an absolute masterclass on how to score runs in this part of the world. To be able to consistently make the right decision under pressure was fantastic. He’s coming back from injury and got us back in the game,” he further added.
“A great thing about Pope was that he knew the field and played well, even when it was reverse swinging,” Root analysed the 26-year-old’s batting.
INDIA vs ENGLAND, 1st TEST: SCORECARD
Root might not have succeeded with the bat in the first Test match but he performed with the ball, turning out to be India’s best spinner on the day. Root finished with four wickets for 79 runs – his second best figures in Test cricket. Asked about the pitch, Root said that it was nice to bowl on and England were trying to put themselves in a winning position.
“The pitch is nice to bowl on. I was really pleased with the way we finished things off this morning. We’re always trying to put ourselves in a winning position and we’re on our way to that. We have to keep playing how we play,” Root said.
England will start Day 4 at 316/6 with Ollie Pope and Rehan Ahmed in the middle.
