CRICKET – ENGLAND vice-captain Ollie Pope produced an unbeaten 148 but India remained on course for victory in the opening Test at the end of day three at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad yesterday.
The tourists had risked a defeat inside three days after India, having built a lead of 190, reduced England to 163-5 in their second innings in the second session of the day.
But Pope dug his heels in, hitting 17 fours in a 274-minute masterclass to produce arguably his finest knock even though India are confident of going 1-0 up in the five-match series.
Rehan Ahmed was keeping Pope company on 16 with England finishing the third day on 316-6, putting them 126 ahead with four wickets in hand.
“Honestly it’s an absolute masterclass on how to bat in these conditions as an overseas player, someone that’s not exposed to these surfaces day in day out,” Root told reporters afterwards.
“To come back off a serious (shoulder) injury like he had in summer and have that amount of time out of the game and then put together that...I’m speechless.
“It’s one of the best knocks that I’ve ever seen,” Root said.
“I’ve seen a lot of cricket, played and batted with a lot of brilliant players, and to witness that today was really special.”
So much so that Root did not mind being told by Pope to address the news conference, the former England captain quipped.
Root, being one of the premier batters of his era, is often considered the benchmark in mastering tough conditions but the 33-year-old said Pope’s latest knock had taken that place.
“I’m not any more. I think that’s the benchmark,” Root said.
“Honestly, I might have scored a few runs in the sub-continent. But not on a surface like that against an attack like that.”
India, who have not lost a Test series on home soil since 2012, amassed 436 in their reply to England’s first innings 246.
That left England with a mountain to climb and the touring batters did not retreat into any defensive shell.
Openers Zak Crawley (31) and Ben Duckett (47) scored freely, frequently employing the sweep shot – both traditional and reverse – to negate India’s spinners.
Crawley motored along at a run-a-ball rate but could not convert the start and edged a Ravichandran Ashwin ball to lone slip Rohit Sharma.
Duckett, then on 39, was lucky when Jasprit Bumrah’s lbw appeal was turned down and India did not review that decision. Replays confirmed the ball would have hit the leg stump.
Not that it mattered – in his next over, Bumrah uprooted Duckett’s off-stump and let out a roar.
The ball had started reversing and Bumrah was looking particularly threatening. A length ball from him rapped Root on his front pad and the batter challenged the lbw decision against him but could not get it overturned.
Root, who excelled as a part-time spinner claiming 4-79, walked away for two.
Ravindra Jadeja foxed Johnny Bairstow (10) by first spinning one past the bat and then following it with a delivery that pitched on the same spot but went straight.
Bairstow, expecting it to turn, did not offer any shot and looked in horror as the ball went on to disturb his stumps.
Ashwin dismissed Ben Stokes for the 12th time in Tests, for six, with a flighted delivery that beat the pad and hit the off-stump.
Pope, dropped on 110 by Axar Patel, combined with Ben Foakes in a century stand for the sixth wicket.
India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey had no doubt that his side’s batters would chase down any target on a pitch which he expected to get easier for batting.
“It’s not the usual turn on Indian sub-continent where as the game progresses, there’s sharp turn,” Mhambrey said.
“But yeah, first things first, we want to get them out as quickly as possible.”
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