Ollie Pope delivered a splendid century to spearhead England's comeback on Day 3 of the ongoing first Test against India in Hyderabad. Unbeaten at 148, Ollie Pope has propelled the visitors to a 126-run lead, surpassing India's initial lead of 190. Accompanying Pope at the crease is spinner Rehan Ahmed (16), with England closing the day at 316/6 in their second innings. Besides Pope's significant contribution, opener Ben Duckett added 47 runs, and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes contributed a valuable 34 runs.
England maintained an edge throughout the day, first by swiftly dismissing India's last three wickets for just 15 runs, and then by scoring rapidly. Nonetheless, with two days remaining in the Test and their lead just over 120, they still trail in the match. To set a challenging target for India on a spinner-friendly pitch, the visitors would likely need around 80 more runs, especially in the absence of their key spinner Jack Leach due to a knee injury sustained on the second day.
In the morning session, Joe Root dismissed India's overnight batsman Ravindra Jadeja for 87, followed by Jasprit Bumrah on the next delivery. Soon after, Rehan claimed the wicket of Jadeja's partner Axar Patel, concluding India's innings at 436. Root emerged as the top wicket-taker for England in the innings with figures of 4/79, while Rehan and debutant Tom Hartley each claimed two wickets.
In their second innings, England's openers began assertively, with Zak Crawley swiftly reaching 31 before being dismissed by Ravichandran Ashwin. Duckett and Pope then put together a partnership of 68 runs for the second wicket. Post-lunch, Jasprit Bumrah claimed the wickets of both Duckett and Joe Root. England experienced a slump, with Jonny Bairstow and captain Ben Stokes departing for low scores, bringing them down to 163/5 from a stronger position of 113/1.
Pope and Ben Foakes then collaborated effectively, contributing 112 runs for the sixth wicket, pushing England beyond the 270 mark. For India, Bumrah and Ashwin each claimed two wickets, while Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket apiece.
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