Batting great Sachin Tendulkar praised England batsman Ollie Pope after his brave effort with the bat. He said that the batsman scripted the unexpected turns of his team and his innings are one of the best by a England mass on Indian soil.
England achieved a remarkable feat by defeating India by 28 runs in the first Test of the five-match series. They made sure to start the series on a high as they took an early 1-0 lead in the series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
One of the main reasons behind England’s victory was number 3 batsman Ollie Pope. The batsman played one of the best innings by the foreign batsman in Indian conditions and got his team out of trouble.
When the team was on the ground, he stood his ground and helped his team take the lead, which didn’t seem possible at one point. The batsman tackled the turn quite well and played some superb shots all over the park.
Ollie Pope finished with the sensational knock of 196 runs and helped England set a target of 231 runs to chase. Then, with the ball, it was debutant Tom Hartley, who contributed brilliantly and picked 7 wickets to outplay the opponents for 202 runs and win the game by 28 runs.
Sachin Tendulkar praised Ollie Pope’s brave effort when the chips were down for the England team. He highlighted the batsman’s good footwork and shot selection against the spinners, touting his innings as his best. On his Twitter account, he said:
“The best stories are those that have unexpected twists and Ollie Pope wrote one for his team. When things got tough for his team, he shined with a combination of good shot selection, positive attitude and good footwork, especially against our spinners.
“This is certainly an outstanding performance by an Englishman on Indian soil. “England defended very well to win the first Test and set up an exciting series ahead.”
Tom Hartley and Ollie Pope were the featured performers – Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar believes that Ollie Pope’s contribution along with the supporters cost India the game in the end. The batting great said that the Rohit Sharma-led team needs to think before moving on to the next game.
Sachin Tendulkar, apart from Ollie Pope, was also blown away by Tom Hartley for his excellent bowling performance in the second innings. He explained:
“Even after being 5 down in the second innings, they were able to add more than 250 runs and those partnerships cost us the game. Despite being ahead in the Test at one point, India ended up on the losing side and will have to do some thinking before the next Test. For me, Tom Hartley and Ollie Pope were the standout artists.”
The best stories are the ones that have unexpected twists and turns. @OPope32 wrote one for his team. When things got tough for his team, he shined with a combination of good shot selection, positive attitude and good footwork, especially against our spinners. Surely this is a… pic.twitter.com/zbsSiXmkkl
– Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 28, 2024
The second Test match between India and England will be played from February 2 in Vizag. The Rohit Sharma-led team would hope to come back in the second game and level the series.