Image Credit- AFP
Ollie Pope’s issue is that he attempts far too many
shots. The hands quiver constantly, begging to be kept occupied. Sentient
energy as opposed to nervous or bored energy. Attackers believe he is
vulnerable outside of the stump because of this. Even why, as a Test No. 3,
some England supporters have not quite warmed up to him.
But that is precisely the reason he is still
undefeated as we enter the fourth day in Hyderabad, a place many had assumed
would be free. It’s how, having soiled the joint with 1 off 11 two days prior,
he managed to pull off a knock of this calibre. England are now 126 ahead
because of this.
Already a hall-of-fame candidate, Pope’s knock had
seasoned pros salivating. Despite declaring himself “speechless”
during his news conference at stumps, Joe Root, for example, could not stop
talking about it.
Pope’s innings checks a few boxes on the worldie
checklist on a pitch that is geared towards one of the most comprehensive
attacks currently in play. Be patient. Evaluation. guts. Maybe not in the
conventional sense, but he checked them all.
It was strangely just what was needed in a scenario
when runs were scarce and balls were coming in late from Jasprit Bumrah’s
whippy right arm, going sideways from R Ashwin’s magic fingers, and staying low
from Axar Patel’s towering frame.
It was partly luck-driven. Pope came out of a nervous
start that hinted at a recurrence of his first-inning collapse. Seven of the
fifteen deliveries he made during the terrible Bumrah stretch were false shots.
However, those errors sort of make the point. Pope is
a gunman, and gunmen do what they do. Additionally, a shooter’s job is to trick
opponents into thinking they don’t miss—even if everyone does.
Because of this forced disarray, Pope is recognised as
one of the main Bazballers and was always the first to go, even though there
was a feeling outside the group that he might not have been included if Harry
Brook hadn’t gone home for private reasons.
England has a lot of work ahead of it. Despite their
dismay, India remains a healthy favourite. The English offence has not been
quite as sharp, and it is now even less so as Jack Leach’s left knee continues
to swell despite treatment. This morning, he was severely strapped and was only
able to complete one over, which was taken for nine runs, before being hauled
out of the attack.
In just a few hours, this match’s face has undergone
unrecognisable transformation. It is all thanks to Ollie Pope.