On the third day in Hyderabad, Ollie Pope showed commendable resilience, bringing up a determined fifth Test century to give England a chance of taking a lead in the series. Walking in at No.3, Pope withstood hostile spells of bowling and was the star of the day on a pitch that is only getting slower.
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The day began with India adding only 15 runs to their overnight total, losing their last three wickets without the addition of a run. In a lineup featuring three frontline spinners, Joe Root excelled, claiming a four-wicket haul as India were bowled out for 436, taking a 190-run lead. His dismissals included denying Ravindra Jadeja a century (87 in 180) and dismantling Jasprit Bumrah’s stumps. Although a hat trick eluded him against Mohammed Siraj, Rehan Ahmed eventually cleaned up Axar Patel, limiting India’s lead.
England’s response to India’s total was characterized by intent, as Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett employed reverse sweeps against R Ashwin. Despite Ashwin dismissing Crawley towards the end of the session, England were 89-1 in just 16 overs by lunch, erasing almost half of the deficit as they ‘Bazballed’ their way through on Saturday morning.
However, Bumrah’s impactful spell in the second session shifted the momentum as he dismissed Duckett with a brilliant ball and later trapped Joe Root leg before in successive overs. Jonny Bairstow faced the challenges posed by Bumrah’s varied pace but succumbed to a clever Jadeja delivery. Soon, skipper Ben Stokes fell victim to a brilliantly flighted delivery by Ashwin, getting dismissed by him for a record 12th time in Tests. England slumped to 172-5 by tea as India wrested control but it was a Pope show thereafter.
England’s fightback commenced as Pope found a reliable partner in Ben Foakes. The duo negotiated the slow deliveries in the third session, stitching together 112 runs before Foakes was sent back by Axar Patel. Pope continued his sparkling innings alongside Rehan Ahmed as England concluded the day ahead by 126 runs with four wickets left.
Pope’s unbeaten 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, the first Test of India’s last home series defeat.
