Hyderabad: Ollie Pope played a sensational knock in the Hyderabad Test to keep England alive in the game. He not only pulled the team out of a crisis but also put them in a strong position by playing a pivotal role in handing India a 200-plus target to chase.
Pope scored 196 runs laced with 21 boundaries on a difficult pitch, which offered assistance to spinners. Although he missed the double century by just four runs, the batter didn't leave any opportunity to ink his name in the record books. With his 196-run knock, Pope registered fourth highest individual score as a visiting batter in India.
Andy Flower tops the list as he played a knock of 232 not out in Nagpur 24 years ago. Brendon McCullum is at the second spot with a score of 225 to his name in Hyderabad in 2010. West Indian great Garfield Sobers occupies the third position thanks to his innings of 198 in Kanpur in 1958.
The 26-year-old also became the first visiting batter to clock 150-plus scores in the second innings of a Test match in India since 2013. Also, Pope's 196 is the highest-ever second-innings score by an English batter in India surpassing Alastair Cook's 176 from 2012.
The Indian team were in a tough position as India had taken a 190-run lead in the first innings. However, Pope's century brought England back into the game and their spinners will have a task to defend a target of 231 runs to win the fixture.
