IND vs ENG, 1st Test, Day 2: Pope hits hundred to revive England despite Bumrah's three wickets

Ollie Pope completed a brilliant first-inning hundred late on day two to revive England after Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant starred for India earlier in the day. The first Test between India and England hangs in the balance after the hosts reduced the deficit to 262 despite losing three wickets in their turn at Headingley in Leeds. After dismissing India on a fighting 471 inside five sessions, England enjoyed their outing against the Jasprit Bumrah-led pace attack. Although they lost both openers, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett and even veteran Joe Root to him later in the innings, Pope stood tall with an unbeaten 100.

Gill and Pant began the day by hitting runs for fun. Though the newly-appointed captain cherished hitting his maiden hundred in England, Pant chased his third on English soil. The pair also completed a 200-plus run stand for the fourth wicket, with Pant unlocking a massive feat by becoming the Indian keeper-batter with the most Test centuries (7), surpassing the legendary MS Dhoni (6).

Meanwhile, when it looked like both could take the game away from England, spinner Shoaib Bashir broke the stand by dismissing Gill on 147. That, however, was the beginning of the end of India’s first innings, as they lost the remaining six wickets for just 41 runs, getting all out on 471.

Rishabh Pant also got out on 134 – his third hundred in England and the most by any overseas keeper batter in the UK.

No hiding Bazball

Despite regular criticism, England continued with their infamous Bazball approach. Though they lost Crawley upfront, Pope and Duckett kept the scoreboard ticking. The pair had near misses early on, but once they settled in, they took the attack to the opposition.

After Duckett completed his fifty, he got out to Bumrah. Joe Root joined Pope in the middle, with the pair stitching a stand to end England’s day on a high. Bumrah, however, had other plans.

Just at the stroke of stumps, he dismissed Root for the tenth time in his Test career, caught in the first slip, denting England’s momentum. Although he also had Harry Brook’s number off a steamy bouncer, bowling a front-foot no-ball saved the English batter.

Pope, on the other hand, had completed yet another Test hundred and his first of the series.