Ben Stokes-led England created history on January 28. They became the first team to hand India a Test defeat at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. Before debutant Tom Hartley’s seven-wicket haul that led the visitors to a 28-run win, it was Ollie Pope’s 196 that gave them a fighting chance on a pitch that favoured the spinners. Stokes called the 28-run win the greatest triumph as captain and Pope’s 196 as the greatest knock by an England batter in subcontinent conditions.
Stokes called Pope's knock better than Joe Root's 218 in Chennai which helped them win the Test by 227 runs. He even called it better than Alastair Cook's 190-run knock at Eden Gardens and Kevin Pietersen's 186-run knock at Wankhede Stadium.
“Since I have taken captaincy on, we have had a lot of fantastic moments. This victory is probably 100% our greatest triumph. It's my first time coming here and being a captain. I am a great observer of the game. I watched how Indian spinners operated, how Rohit set the field,” Stokes said in the post-match presentation.
“Absolutely thrilled for everyone. Hartley to get nine wickets and Pope after his shoulder surgery. Tom came into the squad for the first time. A lot of confidence given. I was willing to give him longer spells. We completely back people who we have selected. The situation we found ourselves in, the shots he played, 190 on such a wicket, he was able to manipulate the field, that's the greatest innings ever played in subcontinent by an English batter. I don't fear failure, I try to encourage whoever is in the squad,” he added.
Opposition captain Rohit Sharma lauded Pope as well giving him credit for overcoming the spin challenge and set a target of 231 which turned out to be enough for an inexperienced English bowling lineup to defend.
“The bowlers executed the plans really well, but you got to take your hat off and say well played to Pope. That was some serious knock,” the 36-year-old said.
Pope also termed it as his best knock and revealed how he prepared for the series.
“Coming here to India, toughest place for a batter, to start the series like this, heads and shoulders above the other four (hundreds). I got lucky there in the second innings. I played and missed a few. I was focused on covering the inside edge. I maintained that mindset and wanted to be positive with my sweep and reverse sweep. I have changed my technique slightly for this series. I have had a long time to prepare for this series. Made some adjustments, worked hard on my game,” the ‘Man of the match’ said.
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