Ollie Pope, the vice captain of England, has defended the team’s approach in spite of the fact that they were humiliated by India by 434 runs in the third Test in Rajkot. After two consecutive losses, the visitors are down 2-1 going into the fourth Test in Ranchi, and ‘Bazball’ is coming under intense scrutiny.
Especially after Ben Duckett’s outstanding century at the conclusion of Day 2, England had a good hold early in the third Test. Nevertheless, the team entirely abandoned their game plan in the second half of the match after giving up a commanding lead and then bundling for a meager 122 in their final inning.
After England’s most recent performance, criticism of Bazball has come from all over the cricketing world. Ollie Pope said that England will follow the same strategy regardless of the bowling attack of the opposition.
We are not going to change how we play- Ollie Pope remains unwavering about England’s tactics
Bumrah was rested by Team India for the fourth match, but the vice captain of England believes the home team still poses a serious threat without their bowling leader. Ollie Pope said during the pre-match press conference in Ranchi:
“He is going to be a miss for them but it doesn’t change the way we go about. Mohammed Siraj bowled well in the last game too, picked four wickets. We are not going to change how we play. There would still be reverse swing and there are still other guys,”
In anticipation to the match, social media has been floating footage of Ben Stokes bowling, but Ollie Pope stated that nothing is set in stone just yet.
“There’s definitely a chance but Ben Stokes hasn’t confirmed that he will bowl. Depends on how he pulls up tomorrow,” he added.
We have left it there – Ollie Pope about team’s atmosphere in the dressing room after the defeat in the third test match
Following knee surgery, England’s captain had discussed his possibilities of being able to bowl again during the series, and head coach Brendon McCullum had also made hints that Stokes would be able to bowl shortly. Ollie Pope also discussed the mood in the changing room after the devastating loss in the third Test.
“It was disappointing how we played on last two days in Rajkot but we have left it there. The vibe in the group is very good. Guys are fresh and ready to go again. We left the ground frustrated. Disappointing in the way we didn’t execute our plans. Nothing wrong with the way. In India, it’s about fine margins,” he reflected.
In terms of runs, England’s most recent defeat to India was only surpassed by their 1934 defeat to Australia (562 runs).
Every chance India can play an extra spinner – Ollie Pope after an early look at the pitch
So far, Ranchi has hosted two Test matches: one against South Africa in 2019 and one against Australia in 2017. There haven’t been any rank turners in the current India vs. England series, but with Bumrah rested, things might be different in the penultimate match. With Axar Patel waiting on the sidelines, Ollie Pope believes that India can consider entering with just one seamer.
During the press conference, the vice-captain of England stated that the Ranchi pitch is not a belter type of surface and has a lot of cracks in it. He believes Axar Patel, who participated in the first two games but was not present for the third, could be an option for India.
“Looks like a very interesting pitch. Plenty of platy cracks, one half is good. The other half has flaky cracks, look like. Not a very belter kind of surface. So let’s see what happens when India have a look at it later in the day. Every chance India can play an extra spinner – Axar Patel definitely an option for them. They have watered the pitch so potentially an extra spinner could be seen from India,” Pope explained.
The fourth Test match between England and India is scheduled to start on Friday, February 23.