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England captain Ben Stokes has claimed Ollie Pope’s 196 was the ‘greatest innings played by an english batter in the subcontinent’ following their win over India.
The Three Lions struggled at times during the Test match but Pope’s sensational exploits with the bat helped them on their way to victory.
England ended up winning by 28 runs, with Tom Hartley taking the decisive wicket.
And Stokes has now hailed Pope following the result that sees the visitors go 1-0 up in the series.
England star Ben Stokes has lavished praise on Ollie Pope following his side’s victory over India
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“I have played a lot of times with Joe Root on the subcontinent, but I think the situation we found ourselves with him in coming in at number there I think Ollie Pope’s 196, the way he manipulated the field, I think that’s the greatest innings played by an English batter in the subcontinent,” he said.
He added: “Tom Hartley came into the squad for the first time and he’s heard a lot of language spoken and confidence given to him.
“I was willing to given him a longer spell at the start regardless of what happened.
“It was a justification for what was going to happen later in the Test, in the series.
“Whether that’s the reason he got seven wickets, who knows, but that was the thought process.”
Stokes also said England were playing without fear, too, and that he personally doesn’t ‘fear failure’.
“There’s no fear of defeat, no. You lose and still wake up the morning breathing and you’ll still have a crack at life regardless, I don’t fear failure,” he said.
“I am trying to encourage whoever finds themselves lucky enough in the squad to express themselves.
“We have had a lot of fantastic moments as a team, great victories but given where we are, and who are playing, I think it’s our greatest triumph since I have been captain.
“To be honest it’s my first time here being in charge of a team in India and captain in these conditions.
“You may not see it but I am a great observer of the game. I watched a lot of how Rohit Shamra set the field. I think that may have been obvious with our approach.
“I am thrilled for everyone involved with this win. For Tom Hartley to get nine wickets on debut, and Ollie Pope to get a big hundred after, is incredible. But everyone contributed.”
Pope, meanwhile, admitted he’d produced the best batting performance of his career when quizzed on his sensational exploits.
“Yeah, 100% [my best innings]. It is the toughest place to come as a batter,” he admitted.
“So to start a series like that and do it in a winning cause, it’s head and shoulders above my other four [centuries].
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England star Ollie Pope impressed with the bat during his side’s win over India on Sunday
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“I think I got luckier in the second innings really, I did play and miss at quite a few early on. I wanted to be positive with sweeping and reverse sweeping.
“I have tinkered throughout with my career with a few technical things and I have changed a few things before this series.
“I had shoulder surgery so I had a long time to prepare for it, and make some adjustments. I think my technique is more tailored for these conditions.
“My family have had some early starts back home throughout this week so they can finally catch up on some sleep tonight!”
India captain Rohit Sharma, meanwhile, was disappointed with the way his side performed as they succumbed to defeat.
England star Ben Stokes was proud of his players following their huge win over India
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“We have played four whole days of cricket so it is hard to pinpoint one moment where it went wrong for us,” he said.
“Obviously, having taken a lead of 190 we thought we were really in the game.
“But there was an exceptional innings from Ollie Pope, probably one of the best I have seen in Indian conditions by an overseas batter. He was brilliant.
“But I definitely thought 230 was gettable. There wasn’t loads in the pitch but we just didn’t bat well enough.”
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