Former England spinner Monty Panesar made a massive prediction on the result of the ongoing five-match Test series between India and England after the Ben Stokes-led side thrilling win the first test in Hyderabad. The Visitors outplayed the home side by 28 runs after being under the pump for the first two days of the match.
England gave a mammoth 190-run lead in the first innings, but Ollie Pope’s brilliant 196 helped them pull off an incredible recovery. This was England’s third victory in the current World Test Championship cycle. On Day 4 of the Test match, the Ben Stokes-led side successfully defended the 231-run mark, giving them a 1-0 lead in the red-ball series in India.
Speaking to ANI, Monty Panesar said that England have a good chance of completing a clean sweep in India if Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley repeat their performances in the remaining matches.
“If Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley continue to play like this it will be a whitewash, it will be 5-0 for England. It can happen if Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley play like this,” Monty Panesar said.
Ollie Pope made 196 runs, helping England overturn their deficit in the 1st innings and set India a 231-run total defend in Hyderabad. In his debut Test match, Tom Hartley took seven wickets for 62 runs in the second innings, rattling India’s batting unit.
It Feels Like England Have Won The World Cup – Monty Panesar
Monty Panesar stated India captain Rohit Sharma was surprised and had no response to Ollie Pope’s masterclass in the first test, in which he batted for 278 balls and hit 21 boundaries, describing it as one of the best innings he had ever seen and comparing the first Test victory to winning the World Cup. He predicted that the Hyderabad Test victory would leave an everlasting impact on English cricket history.
“It is a very big victory, no one even imagined this was even possible. Everyone thought that England would lose after a 190 deficit but Ollie Pope had a brilliant inning, one of the best innings we have seen in a long time and Rohit Sharma was clueless.”
“It was one of the most famous victories England have ever produced overseas. This is big news in England. It feels like we have won the World Cup,” Monty Panesar added.
India are a difficult team to beat at home in Test cricket. Despite losing to Australia in Indore last year, they have traditionally performed well in these conditions. Ollie Pope’s innings took the wind out of India’s sails and Tom Hartley’s brilliance with the ball in the 2nd innings.