Hyderabad: England batter Joe Root was all praise for Ollie Pope following his unbeaten century against India on Day 3 of the opening Test here on Saturday.
“As an overseas player and someone who is not exposed to these surfaces, Pope played a brilliant knock. I am speechless and to be honest it’s one of the best knocks I have ever seen. I have played a lot of cricket and been in the middle with a lot of brilliant players and to witness that is really special. I am pleased for him. He was here to manipulate the fielder against the attack at that surface to show the prowess of concentration and determination,” said Root.
Root said Pope’s brilliance will provide confidence to the rest of the team. “I scored a few runs in the sub-continent but not on a surface like that against an (Indian) attack like that. He gives a lot of confidence to the rest of the team as well. Pope spoke this morning in front of the crew and led the side from front as vice-captain. It speaks a lot about him as a character in developing a team,” the 33-year-old said.
“He was not lucky enough to score big in the first innings. It need great mental strength to be able to go for shots and score around the wicket in the second essay. He showed maturity in his game and the way he maneuvered the field was unbelievable,” he added.
Root said England were equipped with their skills to tackle the Indian attack in sub-continental conditions. “It was a brilliant day for us from start to finish in this position. We have done a lot of things well today. It’s a long five-match series and we have got tools and skill to compete in these situations and to continuously play in our manner and fashion. It’s very exciting and there is more to come tomorrow,” Root said.
