Ollie Pope first emerged publicly as a possible vice-captain for Ben Stokes in late 2022 after defeating Pakistan in Rawalpindi, the closest rival to England’s victory in Hyderabad. Stokes had no official assistant at the time, but Pope would have to lead if the bug ravaging the camp prevented the captain from playing.
Eyebrows are raised. After all, they make a starkly contrasting pair of cricketers in terms of backstory: Stokes, a hyperactive, academy-hating kid from working-class Laborton who was spotted by Durham while playing for Cumbria, and Pope, who was born at Chelsea and joined for pay. – paid off at Cranleigh and enjoyed a largely uneventful rise through the Surrey ranks.
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But as they sat side by side for the post-match press conference at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on Sunday, their whites were stained with dirt and sweat from their truly astonishing 28-run win over India in their own backyard. It was a reminder that such differences mean little. From a cricket perspective, they increasingly appear to be cut from the same cloth.
Stokes was certainly thinking the same thing when he confirmed the Pope’s take on the mission early last summer. advisor. He had put his neck on the line when taking the captaincy 12 months earlier, insisting Pope return after a complicated Ashes tour and instilling in him the belief that he could make third place his own despite having no previous experience. at first fall.
Both shows of belief by Stokes during the first Test here paid significant dividends; Pope has been at the center of the massive transformation, both as a leader and as a hitter. Before the start of the third day, England were still three wickets away from batting again and were already 175 runs behind; It was Pope who addressed the team before taking the field.
Given a somewhat timid failure in the first innings, and given that this was Pope’s first Test since his Ashes was ruined by a dislocated shoulder at Lord’s that required surgery, the 26-year-old could have been forgiven for looking inward. Instead, apparently speaking with clarity and conviction, he told his teammates to play only in the moment, never the state of the game.
Deeds followed these words; Over the course of six hours, the masterful 196 compiled against the world’s leading spin attack on a turn pitch, supported by the lower order, continued with that masterful 196 that has long since entered English folklore. The gushing words were not just coming from the British mouths either, although Joe Root calling it a “new reference point” in India is significant given his own prowess in Asian conditions.
“I have never seen a better display of sweep and reverse sweep against the quality of bowling in these conditions,” said Rahul Dravid, India’s head coach and himself one of the all-time greats. Unlike his captain Rohit Sharma, who said he was not focusing on the opponents, Dravid admitted that revised plans were urgently needed.
It cannot be said that Stokes did not take his hands off the tiller here; This had his fingerprints all over it. It was his 14th win as full-time Test captain from 19 and, in his own words, the biggest ever. Given the resources at his disposal (made even less so by Jack Leach’s injured knee) it’s hard to imagine there are many others who could pull this off.
A lot of it goes back to Tom Hartley’s handling on the first evening, subjecting the rookie to blows from Yashasvi Jaiswal and pushing him the other way. “It comes down to the confidence he has,” said the 24-year-old, who took seven for 62 in his third five-wicket haul for a debutant under Stokes. “The way it builds you up, there are no negative thoughts, it’s all positive.
“I’ve watched a little bit and they’ve done some bad things,” Hartley replied when asked if England had previously gotten the most of them under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. “After participating in this Test match, I am now fully on board. Even before I was happy with it, it was still all-inclusive. They bring so much confidence and life.
Of course, there was also stubbornness here; It was the kind of incident where the team went to Abu Dhabi for the pre-series camp, as they did before Pakistan, despite knowing the pain it would inflict. According to Hartley, the ability to tailor pitches to order was vital; It was a calm start to the week, making them more whimsical as the journey progressed.
The Pope in particular was said to have enjoyed it, and the result was there for all to see. It was a high-risk shot but Stokes knew he could pull it off as he recalled it.
The skipper appeared to be moving better after his knee surgery (as evidenced by Ravindra Jadeja’s athletic performance on day four) and remains determined to lead this Test side for some time to come. But when that day comes, and if Pope is the one who steps up, a different backstory doesn’t necessarily mean a different approach.