Centurion Ollie Pope takes India-England Test to Day 4

England batters did a fantastic job on Day 3 of the first Test against India as they piled up 316 runs in 77 overs at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The visitors have taken a healthy lead of 126 at the loss of six wickets. Ollie Pope was the player of the day as he compiled a well-paced 148 and will be expected to add more to his tally on Day 4. Pope’s 148 is the highest score by a visiting batter in the second innings against India in India since Alastair Cook’s 176 in Ahmedabad in 2012, which incidentally came in the first Test of India’s last series defeat at home.

Day 3 began with India losing their last three wickets for just 15 runs to get bowled out for 436. India took a sizeable lead of 190. While Yashasvi Jaiswal (80), KL Rahul (86), and Ravindra Jadeja (87) were the major contributors with the bat for India, it was Joe Root with the ball for England who stole the show with 4/79 in 29 overs.

On a turning track, it was expected that the Indian spinners would spin a web around the English batters, but that didn’t happen. Batting in their second innings, England were determined to go through the grind. The opening pair of Zak Crawley (31) and Ben Duckett started the innings on a positive note by stitching a 45-run partnership. As it happened in the first innings, Ravichandran Ashwin again provided the first breakthrough to India by getting rid of Crawley.

While Duckett (47) and Ben Foakes (34) made valuable contributions, Root (2), Jonny Bairstow (10), and captain Ben Stokes (6) failed to deliver as Jasprit Bumrah, Jadeja, and Ashwin dismissed the trio. England’s hopes rest on the able shoulders of Pope, who looked unfazed by the spin and pace challenge of India.

Suppose England can add another 80 odd runs and set a target of around 200; then, in that case, the Indian batters will be tested, especially on this pitch that has undergone a lot of wear and tear over the last three days, making batting difficult.