Ollie Pope On Number 3 Pressure Before Century: 'Tried Not To Let It...'
Ollie scored a stylish 106 in England's first innings total of 465 in the opening Test against India. He is focused on improving his game and mindset.
Ollie Pope's away series against India last year began with a spectacular performance but ended on a disappointing note. Despite this, Pope has deliberately avoided letting the scrutiny over his position in the playing eleven affect him too much. He showcased his form by crafting a stylish century during England's solid first innings on the second day of the opening Test.
Vice-captain Pope, whose spot in the team has been under scrutiny since his technique was exposed by Jasprit Bumrah and Indian spinners during the 2024 away series, scored an impressive 106 in England's first innings total of 465.
For context, Pope had started that series with a magnificent 196 in Hyderabad but managed only 40 runs in the next four Tests.
'I've tried not to let it affect me too much," Pope said during the post-day press conference on Sunday.
'I've just been trying to make sure my game's in as good a place as possible and when I get in, try to make sure I make the most of it. I've tried to let the outside noise do its thing and make sure my game keeps improving, and that I get my headspace in as good a place as possible too."
Pope has worked on changing his mindset, so he doesn't feel pressured to reach his first 30 runs and then feel settled.
'It's almost just trying my game a little bit more: not feeling like I've got to rush to 30 to then really feel 'in'. It's trying to enjoy the process of building an innings, rather than just, 'I want to get to 30 to then make a big one'…
'It's something I've been working hard on, just generally putting my game in a better place and making sure my defence is as good as it can be."
However, the elegant right-hander acknowledged that there is still a long way to go in the marathon five-Test series.
'It's a long series, and there's a lot to be done in this game still as well," he added.
'It's definitely (an innings) that I really enjoyed. It was disappointing not to kick on this morning, but I'm really happy with how I went about it and played, and I'm happy with where my game's at – so hopefully, I can kick on."
(With PTI inputs).
First Published:
June 23, 2025, 10:32 IST
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