Ollie Pope left his England teammates in shock with a stunning century in the first Test against India, leaving Joe Root searching for superlatives.
Root finally opted on “absolute masterclass” to sum up Pope’s unbeaten 148 on day three in Hyderabad, fitting words from a player with over 11,000 Test runs and 30 centuries to his name.
England were 190 runs behind as they began their second innings, but Pope defied the precarious match scenario, an uncertain pitch, and a world-class bowling attack to deliver a career-best score.
He survived all three by hitting 17 fours in 208 deliveries, propelling the tourists to 316 for six – a comfortable 126-run advantage in conditions that could easily have resulted in an innings defeat.
That it all came in his first match back after six months out due to shoulder surgery, on a surface where the next greatest score from either team is 87, was even more amazing.
If England manages to pull off an unexpected victory over the next two days, it will undoubtedly be remembered as an all-time classic.
“I’m speechless really…it’s one of the best knocks I’ve ever seen,” said Root.
“I’ve seen a lot of cricket, I’ve played and batted out there in the middle with a lot of brilliant players and to witness that was really special. There’s a lot of people in our dressing room that have seen and played a lot of cricket that are of the same mind as I am.
“The way that Popey played today, honestly, it’s an absolute masterclass in how to bat in these conditions as an overseas player. We all know he’s got an array of shots and can score all round the wicket, but to have the self-belief and desire to put a score together for the team and get us to where we are now was outstanding.
“The maturity he showed, the smarts, the way he manoeuvred the field…it was unbelievable. You sit here very emotional being part of it, but I’m sure I’ll sit back and still be impressed and wowed by the way he’s played.”
Root has long been England’s standard-bearer in Asia, scoring five hundreds, including two in Galle and Chennai, but he has stated that he would gladly hand the mantle to Pope.
“I’m not any more, I think that’s the benchmark,” he said.
“I might have scored a few runs in the sub-continent but not on a surface like that, against an attack like that.
“I didn’t even mind when he ‘big dogged’ me and said, ‘Can you do the press tonight?’ He spoke this morning in front of the group and and he’s grasped the moment, taken responsibility and backed it up in his actions. That’s what you want from leaders within the dressing room.
“As an old-timer in this team, it’s great to see these young lads coming in, really putting their stamp on things and leading from the front.”
England will need to score a lot more runs on day four to put the pressure back on their opponents, and they will be handicapped in the fourth innings by an injury to main spinner Jack Leach.
It is understood he is in agony and swelling, but Root is upbeat about his team’s performance against the hosts, who have lost only three of their last 46 home games.
