So England batsman Ollie Pope was finally dismissed for 196 by Jasprit Bumrah, but not before putting his side in a commanding position, in the first India vs England Test, in Hyderabad. Eventually, the visiting side set a target of 231, which by no means is going to be easy for India.
But just to get a perspective on much of a class innings it was by Pope, it is important to know, that it is one of the highest scores at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Fourth best, to be precise. While Pope missed his double ton by four runs, only three other batters have gotten to the landmark at this venue. The list includes Brendon McCullum vs India in 2010, Chetewar Pujara vs Australia in 2013, and Virat Kohli vs Bangladesh in 2017.
Putting aside the stats, just batting in Hyderabad, especially in the third and the fourth innings can be a bit tricky. But Pope controlled the Indian spinners really well. While R Ashwin gave away 126 runs in his 23 overs, Axar Patel gave 74 in 16, and Ravindra Jadeja 131 in 34.
