Pope ton leads England’s strong reply after India fold for 471

Pope ton leads England's strong reply after India fold for 471

England fought back strongly after India's dominant batting display, with Ollie Pope leading the charge with his second consecutive Test ton. Pope's 100* helped England reach 209/3, reducing the deficit to 262 runs.

Pope and Ben Duckett put on 122 runs for the second wicket, rotating the strike frequently and taking advantage of the conditions. Duckett fell for 62, but Pope continued to flourish, bringing up his ton off 125 balls. He had some luck, with Yashasvi Jaiswal putting down a chance off Jasprit Bumrah, but made India pay for their mistakes.

England's bowlers had earlier made merry, wrapping up India's tail for 41 runs after the visitors had been 430/3. Josh Tongue picked up the last three wickets, and England's comeback was complete.

India's batting had been dominant, with Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant putting on 209 runs for the fourth wicket. Pant brought up his hundred with a stylish six, and Karun Nair's cameo was ended by Ollie Pope at short cover. Pant was eventually trapped LBW by Josh Tongle, and England took control of the game.