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India lost the toss and was sent to bat first by the England skipper, Ben Stokes, having had no idea that the clouds, who had been a friend to the natives, would aid the Indians this time. India bulked up three massive centuries, each by Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), Shubman Gill (147) and Rishabh Pant (134). Once the cloud came in, the team got demolished within 40 runs. While the English batters came, cloud was there. There has hardly been a sunny day, but there has been some wind and rain in between. Yet the team, with a collective effort from the batters and the awful fielding and undisciplined bowling, managed to reach the Indians if not fully touch them.

 

As per the stats, 471 runs were put on the board by the Indians, and the English scored 465. For the hosts, Ollie Pope was the only one to manage a century, scoring 106 runs off 137 balls after being dropped at 62. Speaking to the post-match presentation, Pope said that despite having clouds, he had his plan: respect the good balls and hit the bad one. Pope said,

 

"The India team batted in the sun for a day and a bit, then the clouds came in for us, so I knew it would be tough [for my hundred]. Respect the good balls and put away the bad balls. The conditions and I know this pitch, true bounce, quick outfields, can swing a bit. Play as late as I can, play square and score with the swing."

 

Read also: Dropped catches are a part and parcel of the game: Jasprit Bumrah eases pain after Day 3 at Leeds

 

Ollie Pope focused on getting better amidst form scrutiny

 

Recalling his memories from the last India tour, Pope acknowledged that he didn't have a good season in India. Not only that, the English vice-captain has been under scrutiny for his recent struggles. After the ton, Pope added,

 

"That last series [in India] I wasn't good enough in the last four games, I'll look to draw a line under the last innings and reset from there. Whether it's 0 or a hundred. KL Rahul will be an important wicket for us. Don't want to put a number on a chase, the less the better but beat the infield it's four."

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