At the end of a third day fightback from England came a possible passing of the baton, Joe Root insisting Ollie Pope had set a new benchmark for his teammates in subcontinental conditions and shown they can compete against India’s spinners.
With five centuries and more than 2,000 Test runs in Asia, Root is the obvious go-to batter for any advice among the squad. But after watching Pope’s masterclass in the first Test in Hyderabad, an innings that helped turn a 190-run deficit into a lead of 126, with six wickets down, the former captain told them to look elsewhere.
“I’ve seen a lot of cricket, I’ve played and batted out there in the middle with a lot of brilliant players and to witness that was really special,” said Root, having earlier proved the catalyst for the mood shift by completing a four-wicket haul with his off-breaks
“Honestly, it’s an absolute masterclass in how to bat in these conditions as an overseas player. That’s the benchmark. I might have scored a few runs in the subcontinent but not on a surface like that against an attack like that.
“Regardless of what happens for the rest of the game, with it being a long five-match series, we’ve laid down some good markers and shown we have the tools and skills to really compete in these conditions and to continually play in our fashion.”
Concentration, fitness and skill were the qualities singled out by Root, not to mention Pope’s ability to stay level during the crackling surge from Jasprit Bumrah after lunch that took a slow pitch out of the equation through reverse swing. Then there was Pope’s manipulation of India’s fields, scoring on both sides of the wicket in innovative fashion.
“He didn’t rely on brute strength or one aspect of his game,” Root said. “He could get down the wicket, he could sweep, reverse sweep, play off the back foot – and he dealt with the reverse swing.”
Pope’s day began when he gave a speech to his teammates before the start of play, the contents of which Root chose to keep in-house. Ben Stokes officially named the 26-year-old as his vice-captain at the start of last summer, only for a dislocated shoulder to end his Ashes campaign after two Tests.
Root said: “That’s what you want from leaders and he’s certainly become one of those over the last year or so. To lead from the front as vice-captain shows a lot about him and about us developing as a team. This is another great step in the right direction for this group of players.”
Asked about his own role on this tour, whether all-rounder should be his new descriptor after 29 overs as Stokes’s most threatening weapon, Root said: “No. Far from it. But was nice to contribute. I’ve never had to bowl that many overs before. The body was in a bit of shock this morning when I woke up.”
