Follow UsEngland’s No.3 batter Ollie Pope was under serious pressure coming into the first Test against India at Headingley, Leeds. The right-hander averaged just 11 in five innings against Pakistan last year before getting a couple of fifties in New Zealand.
Pope did smash 171 against Zimbabwe in May but his spot in the XI wasn’t fixed because of his mediocre numbers against big teams like India and Australia. The England management, however, persisted with him instead of going with in-form Jacob Bethell, and Pope didn’t disappoint.
India hammered 471 in the first innings and then Jasprit Bumrah got rid of Zak Crawley in the first over. Walking out to bat at No.3, Pope responded with a stunning 106 off 137 and put on two crucial partnerships with Ben Duckett and Joe Root.
"I've tried not to let it affect me too much. I've just been trying to make sure my game's in as good a place as possible and when I get in, try to make sure I make the most of it. I've tried to let the outside noise do its thing and make sure my game keeps improving, and that I get my headspace in as good a place as possible too,” said Pope, reported ESPNcricinfo.
Pope has never hit more than one century in a Test series, but now has back-to-back hundreds - one against Zimbabwe and one against India. "It's a long series, and there's a lot to be done in this game still as well," he added.
"It's definitely (an innings) that I really enjoyed. It was disappointing not to kick on this morning, but I'm really happy with how I went about it and played, and I'm happy with where my game's at - so hopefully, I can kick on."
India are currently 90/2 in the second innings, leading by 96 runs. India would have had a bigger lead if not more multiple dropped catches and some vital runs from the English lower-order. The likes of Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue scored 71 runs between them.
"(A deficit of) 40 or 50, just from a mindset, might have given them a little bit more confidence, knowing that they've got that head-start, but playing the game from an even playing field felt quite important. We got those two wickets; they played nicely. KL Rahul batted really well. It's important for us to get some early breakthroughs.
"It obviously would've been nice to get maybe one or two more wickets this evening, but I think the pitch is still playing really well. It's obviously such a quick-scoring ground, with the lightning fast outfield. It's obviously an important session tomorrow morning, and the game is poised in a pretty nice position."