Legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble praised England’s Ollie Pope for his outstanding century against India on their home soil. The 26-year-old played a crucial role in leading England’s comeback in the match by scoring an impressive 196 runs in the second innings.
On the fourth morning of the ongoing Hyderabad Test, Ollie Pope’s remarkable performance helped England to create a miraculous comeback and put India on the back foot. The England vice-captain marshalled the lower order and set India a target of 231 runs to win the game.
Speaking to Sports18 during England’s innings, Anil Kumble said Ollie Pope deserved his double century for his batting. He added that Pope lived and died by the sword and had taken everyone by surprise with his batting in the Indian conditions.
During his knock, the England vice-captain executed the sweep and reverse-sweep flawlessly but was eventually dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah when attempting the reverse lap.
“It’s a very good score. 230 runs ahead, the last four added 175 runs. Ollie Pope obviously showed them the way and batted brilliantly. He richly deserved that double hundred. But he lived by the sword and died by the sword.
“We all expected Joe Root or Ben Stokes to be the danger men for India but come Ollie Pope, and to do what he did was something special,” Anil Kumble said.
In the first innings, Pope lasted only 11 balls, and his nervous approach made it seem unlikely that he would make an impact in the second innings. However, Pope turned things around and helped his team make a remarkable comeback in the game.
One Of The Best Innings On Indian Soil – Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble praised Ollie Pope’s knock as one of the best knocks by an overseas batter on Indian soil. He added that India must have a strong start in their 231-run chase. Pope’s innings of 196 off 278 balls made him the first visiting batter to score 150 or more runs in the second innings of a Test in India since 2013.
“Fantastic innings, perhaps one of the best innings on Indian soil. India has a mountain to climb now. In the first session post-lunch, India needs to win. For that to happen, the openers need to get a good partnership. You need two big partnerships to come within the top-five batters,” Anil Kumble added.
Ollie Pope’s score places him fourth among batters with the highest individual scores in the second innings as a visiting player in India. Only Andy Flower (232*), Brendon McCullum (225), and Garfield Sobers (198) have scored more than Pope in the second innings as visiting players against India’s powerful side.