England batsman Ollie Pope‘s 148 in the first India vs England Test has had a positive effect on the visitors’ chances in the match. England, courtesy of that one innings, leads by 126 runs, and looks good for more, with Pope still there at the crease.
But despite the situation, former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly looks at the larger picture. He made the prediction that India will win the series. “India will win the series, the matter is whether they will win it 4-0 or 5-0. Every Test will be decisive.
“England could have won this Test match had they batted well. One cannot win against India by making 230 or 240 runs on Indian soil. Had they made 350 or 400, they could have beaten India, but they weren’t able to do that. It’s a tough series for England. Any team other than the Australia of that era could not create any impact here,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Ganguly went on to say, that Bazball won’t really work in India, due to the nature of the wickets. As far as the match situation is concerned, England will resume day four at 316/6, and Pope will have Rehan Ahmed for company. Another fifty runs from here, England will also fancy their chances of defending the total.