Ollie Pope repaid England’s faith and banished further questions over his place as his fine century helped turn the tables on day two of the first Test against India.
Pope’s grip on the number three spot looked shaky at the start of the summer as Jacob Bethell pushed hard for the shirt, but having shored up his position with 171 against Zimbabwe last month he put the debate to bed with 100 not out against the might of Jasprit Bumrah and company.
Ben Stokes had claimed it would be “remarkable” to dispense with his vice-captain and those words chimed as Pope led England to 209 for three in response to India’s 471 at Headingley.
The tourists had earlier missed the opportunity to bat their opponents out of the game, losing seven for 41 as Josh Tongue and Ben Stokes finished with four wickets apiece.
Their combined efforts rebalanced the game after India’s serene progress on day one but the presence of Bumrah cast a long shadow.
The world’s best bowler lived up to the billing, ripping out Zak Crawley with the new ball and returning for Ben Duckett and Joe Root, but his best was not quite enough to remove Pope.
Twice he saw genuine edges sail through gaps in the cordon and when one did go to hand at gully, Yashasvi Jaiswal spilled him on 60.
Pope dealt admirably with the interrogation, never losing his composure and scoring 13 fours in a 125-ball ton boasting plenty of character.
The milestone may have arrived with a scratchy single into the leg-side but it was fitting that it came off the relentless Bumrah.
Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN
Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN
Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
The day began ominously for England, who took the field at 359 for three and soon began dancing to Rishabh Pant’s tune.
Resuming on 65 he became the third centurion of the innings with some outrageous hitting. He ramped Shoaib Bashir’s first ball over slip, rang up the 400 with a fierce pull for six and flogged the spinner one-handed over the ropes to bring up his hundred.
He marked the occasion with an extravagant front flip to delight the crowd but as soon as his stand of 209 with captain Shubman Gill was over, it was England making the big moves.
Karun Nair bagged a duck on his first appearance in seven years, Pope snatching a smart one-handed catch, then Pant paid for a moment of indecision as he squared up then offered no stroke as Tongue attacked from round the wicket.
The Nottinghamshire seamer had waited an hour and 40 minutes to get his hands on the ball but he made up for the wait, clean bowling Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna in a four-over spell of four for 11.
A rain shower delayed the start of the England innings, which began with clouds above, floodlights on and Bumrah licking his lips.
He picked off Crawley with menacing efficiency in the first over, prying around the outside edge twice before having him caught at slip with a cracker.
The rest of his spell was edge-of-the-seat viewing – hitting Ben Duckett on the toe for a tight lbw shout and twice coming close to having the left-hander caught at backward point. Pope also had a stroke of luck on 10, saved only by the yawning gap where fourth slip should have been.
But whenever Bumrah was not bowling it was a different game. Runs came easier at the other end, with England’s natural aggression meaning a regular supply of boundaries. At one stage Bumrah even proved his fallibility by fumbling the ball over the rope at fine leg.
Pope has a reputation as a skittish starter but he looked calmer than usual, his footwork less erratic and his drives a little crisper as England took tea at 107 for one from just 24 overs.
Duckett reached 50 with a classic sweep but when Pope followed after the break it was another moral victory for Bumrah. Tearing back in from the Pavilion End he drew a thick edge and was let down again, with no third slip in place.
Pope’s luck was in once more when Jaiswal put him down and Bumrah eventually took the catchers out of the equation as he finally got a second scalp, flattening Duckett’s middle stump via a drag-on.
Pope was made to work for his century, trading blows with the seamers until he finally reached the landmark and erupted in celebration.
Root succumbed to Bumrah’s very next delivery and Harry Brook was caught off a no-ball in a dramatic finish, leaving Pope standing tallest at stumps.
