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Top order batter Ollie Pope continued his impressive run on Day 4 of the first Test against India at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on January 28. Riding on his splendid 196-run knock, Ollie Pope rescued England from a perilous position to a commanding total of 420 to hand India a challenging target of 231 runs.
Leaving Joe Root in awe with his exceptional batting show, Pope achieved a new milestone in his promising Test career making a mark in Test history in Hyderabad. Pope, having a close call at 186 when KL Rahul dropped him, couldn't capitalise fully on this second chance, narrowly missing a double century. Nevertheless, his remarkable innings of 196 broke several records in Test cricket. Just four runs shy of a double ton, Pope was on the brink of joining the ranks of Root, Mike Gatting, and Graeme Fowler as one of the few England players to score a double century in India.
Ollie Pope Surpasses Pakistan's Saeed Anwar in Record Books
After Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja tried their luck to trap Pope, it was fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah who returned to the attack to dismiss England's vice captain in the 102nd over to conclude visitors' innings. With his score of 196 from 278 balls, Pope now occupies the fourth position on the list of highest individual scores in the second innings by a visiting batter against India. Pope's score eclipsed Pakistan's Saeed Anwar, who notched up 188* in Kolkata in 1999. The only players ahead of Pope in this category are Andy Flower (232*), Brendon McCullum (225), and Garfield Sobers (198).
Highest individual scores in second innings by visiting batters in India
232*Andy Flower Nagpur 2000
225 Brendon McCullum Hyderabad 2010
198 Garfield Sobers Kanpur 1958
196 Ollie Pope Hyderabad 2024
188*Saeed Anwar Kolkata 1999
England Set 231-Run Target for India
Graham Gooch of England holds the distinction of scoring the highest individual innings against India in Test cricket, with his monumental 333 at Lord's in 1990. Pope's magnificent batting display on Day 4 against Rohit Sharma's Team India has laid the foundation for England to mount a strong comeback in the series opener. Thanks to Pope's prowess with the bat in Hyderabad, Ben Stokes' side has set India a challenging target of 231 runs in the first match of the Test series.
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