1st Test: Pope’s unbeaten ton helps England reach 209/3, trail India by 262 runs
Leeds, June 22 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Top-order batter Ollie Pope smashed an unbeaten century, his ninth in Tests, as England trail India by 262 runs after reaching 209/3 in 49 overs at stumps on Day Two of the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at Headingley here on Saturday.
It was a day when India were primed to get a big total, after reaching 430/3 – thanks to Shubman Gill making a career-best 147 and Rishabh Pant somersaulting his way to an astonishing 134 – his seventh ton in the format. But after Gill departed, India lost their last seven wickets for just 41 runs to be bowled out for 471 in 113 overs. A sudden burst of rain meant England’s innings had a delayed start, and they then had to deal with a menacing Jasprit Bumrah, who picked 3-45. But Pope and Ben Duckett added 122 runs for the second wicket to bring some normalcy into England’s innings.
While Duckett fell for 62, Pope overcame his usual nervous start to score his ninth Test hundred, laced with 13 fours, before walking off undefeated after putting England in a comfortable position. It also helped the duo that India’s bowling attack, minus Bumrah, wasn’t that penetrative.
In the opening over of England’s innings, with dark clouds looming around, Bumrah was on the money from the word go and was rewarded with Zak Crawley’s scalp. He got the ball to be straight, before getting it to move away at the last moment to induce an edge from Crawley and have him caught brilliantly by first slip.
But after that, England began to build their innings as Pope and Duckett took two fours each off Mohammed Siraj, who released the pressure built by Bumrah. India’s pace spearhead, despite an electrifying first spell, could have got Duckett out for 15 if Ravindra Jadeja didn’t drop his catch at backward point. With Prasidh Krishna being ineffective with his loose deliveries, it meant that there was no stopping Duckett and Pope.
After 17 overs, left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was brought into the attack and got a good turn and bounce on offer in his second over. Duckett, though, swept Jadeja for four to bring up his 14th Test fifty and the century of his stand with Pope, just before the tea break.
Pope got the final session underway with a late cut through the gap between third slip and gully, taking him to a half-century in 64 balls. But Bumrah found success when Duckett chopped onto his stumps and fell for 62 off 94 balls. Pope got a life on 60 when he tried to steer off Bumrah, but Yashasvi Jaiswal made a mess of the catch at third slip.
Siraj bowled with much better lengths, and that resulted in him trapping Joe Root lbw for seven, only for the batter to overturn it on review. Pope continued to grow in confidence by taking boundaries off Jadeja, Prasidh, and Shardul Thakur before getting his second straight off 125 balls through an inside edge off Bumrah.
But on the very next ball, Root poked at an outside off-stump delivery from Bumrah, and a thick outside edge was snapped up by Nair at first slip, making it the tenth time the pacer dismissed the premier England batter in Tests. Just before lunch, Bumrah had Harry Brook give a top edge on a pull to mid-wicket, but didn’t get the scalp as replays showed he overstepped for the third time in the over.
That gave England a huge sigh of relief as local lad Brook and Pope walked off after having an enthralling day where England gained some momentum they squandered on day one’s play. For India, they would need to fire back on day three after having a bowling performance that was more of Bumrah or nothing.
Previously, Josh Tongue led a strong fightback from England’s bowlers to end up with 4-86 as the hosts bowled out India for 471. For India, it was slightly underwhelming to end at a score below 500 after three of the top five batters made centuries.
Resuming from 395/3, India had a first session of two halves – 53/0 before the drinks break was taken. But after the drinks break, India lost four wickets, including both centurions Gill and Pant.
Gill got Day Two underway with a gorgeous extra cover drive off Chris Woakes for four before Pant pulled and steered Brydon Carse for boundaries, despite missing a hack down the ground off the pacer. The duo continued to trade in boundaries, as Pant went into the 90s with a falling scoop off Shoaib Bashir for four, before walloping him for six.
Pant then stepped out to heave Bashir for a one-handed six over midwicket to bring up his enthralling century off 146 deliveries and celebrated with his signature somersault, a skill he picked up from undergoing gymnastics practice in his growing-up years. Pant’s seventh Test century meant he went past MS Dhoni (six) for the most Test centuries hit by an Indian wicketkeeper.
The flamboyant Pant’s third Test hundred in England, laced with magnificence and madness in stroke play in equal measure, is a feat no other visiting keeper has achieved before in longer format games in the country. Pant then brought up 200 runs of his stand with Gill when he managed to clear long-off for six off Bashir.
But after that, the 209-run partnership was snapped by Bashir when Gill holed out to deep square leg. Pant’s fun continued when he creamed Stokes for four, and slog-swept Bashir for six, before pulling off the England captain for another boundary.
But from the other end, Karun Nair’s comeback to the Test team after eight years lasted just four balls as he reached out to a wide ball off Stokes, and Ollie Pope at cover took a brilliant leaping catch to dismiss him for a duck.
With some reverse swing on offer, Pant was troubled by inswingers from Tongue, before shouldering arms to a sharp nip-backer from around the wicket and was trapped lbw right in front of the stumps. Soon after, Thakur slashed Stokes behind to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith at the stroke of lunch, as England walked off with a smile on their face.
Shortly after lunch, Tongue lured Bumrah into the drive, and a second slip caught the outside edge. Tongue came back to cramp Jadeja for room and succeeded, as the left-handed batter chopped onto his stumps, before he castled Krishna to ensure India’s innings was wrapped up in 23 minutes of the second session in a day, going England’s way.
Brief scores:
India 471 in 113 overs (Shubman Gill 147, Rishabh Pant 134; Ben Stokes 4-66, Josh Tongue 4-86) lead England 209/3 in 49 overs (Ollie Pope 100 not out, Ben Duckett 62; Jasprit Bumrah 3-48) by 262 runs
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