Ollie Pope struck a resilient ninth Test century to steady England’s innings at 209/3 by stumps on Day 2 of the first Test in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at Headingley on Saturday. England now trail India by 262 runs after a day that saw momentum swing both ways.
Earlier in the day, India looked poised for a mammoth total, riding on a commanding 147 from captain Shubman Gill — his career-best — and an explosive 134 from Rishabh Pant. The duo’s heroics took India to 430/6, but a dramatic collapse saw the last seven wickets fall for just 41 runs, ending their innings at 471 in 113 overs.
Persistent rain delayed England’s response, and they had to navigate Jasprit Bumrah’s fiery opening spell. However, Pope and Ben Duckett forged a crucial 122-run partnership for the second wicket, steadying the innings after the early loss of Zak Crawley.
Duckett played with flair, crafting a confident 62 off 94 deliveries before chopping a Bumrah delivery onto his stumps. Pope, meanwhile, brought up his half-century with a stylish late cut and carried on confidently, reaching his century off 125 balls — his knock laced with 13 boundaries.
He was handed a lifeline on 60 when Yashasvi Jaiswal spilled a catch in the slips off Bumrah. Despite pressure from the Indian attack, Pope capitalized and kept the scoreboard ticking with elegant strokes off Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, and Prasidh Krishna.
Joe Root was briefly threatened with an lbw from Mohammed Siraj but successfully overturned the decision on review. His stay at the crease was short-lived, though, as Bumrah dismissed him with a sharp delivery outside off-stump — marking the tenth time the Indian pacer has claimed Root’s wicket in Tests.
In a frustrating moment for India, Bumrah missed out on dismissing Harry Brook before lunch due to a no-ball after Brook top-edged a pull shot. The reprieve allowed Brook and Pope to see England through to stumps, with Pope unbeaten on 100 and Brook providing support.
India will now look to regroup and deliver a collective bowling effort on Day 3, having relied heavily on Bumrah’s brilliance so far.
Brief Scores:
India: 471 in 113 overs (Shubman Gill 147, Rishabh Pant 134; Ben Stokes 4-66, Josh Tongue 4-86)
England: 209/3 in 49 overs (Ollie Pope 100*, Ben Duckett 62; Jasprit Bumrah 3-48)
India lead by 262 runs.
