England lead India by 126 at stumps on day three of first Test as Ollie Pope (148no off 208 balls) leads tourists from 163-5 to 316-6 in Hyderabad – follow text commentary of day four from 3.45am on Sunday on skysports.com and the Sky Sports App (4am first ball)
Ollie Pope scored a sublime century to revive England and give the tourists hope of victory over India after day three of the first Test.
The vice-captain – whose top-score on the 2021 tour of India was 34 in eight knocks – struck 148 not out from 208 balls, sharing a sixth-wicket stand of 112 with Surrey team-mate Ben Foakes (34) as England recovered from 163-5 to close on 316-6 with a lead of 126.
Pope and Foakes bounced back from disappointing first innings – Pope falling for a skittish one from 11 balls, Foakes for a sluggish four from 24 – after they joined forces with England 29 runs behind following Ravichandran Ashwin’s dismissal of Ben Stokes (6).
Pope, dropped on 110 by Axar Patel at backward square, swept and reverse swept his way to a strike-rate of 71.15, showing intent against India’s high-class spinners as he notched his fifth Test century, and surely his best, and belief has now risen that what seemed like an inevitable defeat could turn into a famous win.
England’s problem when they come to bowl could be their spinners, with Jack Leach nursing a knee issue and Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed – the former making his Test debut, the latter in just his second game – struggling in India’s first-innings 436 all out.
Joe Root (4-79) was the pick of England’s spinners first time around and struck twice in as many balls on Saturday morning – pinning India top-scorer Ravindra Jadeja lbw for 87, then bowling Jasprit Bumrah for a golden duck – as the hosts lost their final three wickets for no runs to be bowled out with a lead of 190.
India had then looked on course for victory inside three days, perhaps even by an innings, after Bumrah (2-29) dismissed Ben Duckett (47) and Root (2) with devilish in-swingers and Jonny Bairstow (10) and Stokes fell to spin – England losing 4-50 from 113-1.
But the game is fascinatingly poised now as India face the pressure of a three-digit fourth-innings chase.
Bumrah sizzles before Pope stands firm
After India added only 15 runs to their overnight 421-7 – Axar (44) last man out, bowled on the cut by a Rehan delivery that stayed low – England’s fine morning continued with the bat.
They lost only Zak Crawley (31) before lunch as he, Pope and the reverse-sweeping Duckett helped the tourists speed along to 89-1 from 15 overs at a run rate of a lick under six.
Crawley’s exit, caught at slip off Ashwin with the score on 45, did not derail England initially – but then Bumrah happened, striking twice early in the second session during a sizzling spell of reverse swing.
Bumrah would have removed Duckett lbw for 39 had India reviewed with the ball set to hit leg stump but he got his man shortly after, smashing the left-hander’s off stump with an in-ducker after a series of deliveries that moved away, before nailing Root lbw.
Bairstow was able to blunt Bumrah only to be bowled shouldering arms to a Jadeja delivery that went on with the arm, seconds after a ball had landed in the same spot but spun away past the edge.
Stokes was unable to provide any magic, bowled by a beauty from Ashwin that angled in and then turned away past the batter’s tentative poke to hit the off stump – Ashwin accounting for Stokes for the 12th time in Test cricket, more than any other bowler.
England were on the ropes at that point and although they remain second favourites to win the Test, thanks to Pope they have hope.
Foakes could not see out the day, castled by an Axar grubber late on, with Pope to resume alongside Rehan (16no) on the fourth morning.
Pope looked jittery early in the second innings, including when he played an anxious reverse sweep, but was superb as he progressed, hitting 17 fours, rotating strike, and keeping the Test alive
It was a knock of the utmost quality in what is his first game since June after dislocating his shoulder during the Ashes.
Root: Pope put on a masterclass
England’s Joe Root, speaking to TNT Sports:
“Pope put on 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 knew the field and played well, even when it was reverse swinging. We’re always trying to put ourselves in a winning position and we’re on our way to that.”
Former England batter Kevin Pietersen:
“It is not going to be impossible for England to win this Test match. Batting fourth is very difficult. What today has done for the series and for English batters, it stood them in good stead.
“Pope came in at a time when England needed him to stand up and he did. He started jittery but that doesn’t matter.
“A brilliant innings, one of composure, maturity and one that he will remember for a very long time. A brilliant hundred.”
Follow text commentary of day four of the first Test between India and England live on skysports.com and the Sky Sports App from 3.45am on Sunday (4am first ball).
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
