Michael Vaughan praises Ollie Pope's 'Great Test hundred' and takes a dig at Wasim Jaffer

England vice-captain Ollie Pope smashed a brilliant century in the second innings of the opening Test in the five-match series against India. Ollie Pope’s remarkable innings garnered praise from the cricketing community, including former England skipper Michael Vaughan.

The Ben Stokes-led team struggled to make an impact in the first innings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. The visiting team scored 246 runs after opting to bat first. Ollie Pope managed to score just one run on the opening day of the match.

In response, the Rohit Sharma-led team scored 436 runs on the board. Yashasvi Jasiwal (80), KL Rahul (86), and Ravindra Jadeja (87) made valuable contributions to the team’s 190-run lead in the first innings. Joe Root was the standout bowler for England, taking four wickets.

England started their second innings under pressure, trailing by 190 runs. Openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett provided a positive start by adding 45 runs in 9.2 overs. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up the first wicket by dismissing Crawley, who scored 31 runs off 33 balls.

Ollie Pope, who had a disappointing outing in the first innings, added crucial partnerships to guide England past the deficit. The young batter reached his first Test century in India off 154 balls. He ran three runs off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling to achieve the milestone.

The 26-year-old batter added a 112-run partnership with wicketkeeper-batter Ben Foakes to rescue the team from 163/5. The No. 3 batter survived as Axar Patel dropped his catch while batting on 110 runs. He ended with an unbeaten 148 runs, including 17 boundaries.

One Of The Great Test 100s From Ollie Pope – Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan praised Ollie Pope‘s remarkable Test century on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Vaughan described it as ‘one of the great Test hundreds,’ highlighting its significant impact during the ongoing Test match. Vaughan also took a dig at Wasim Jaffer following Pope’s ton.

“One of the Great test 100s from @OPope32.. !! Another 100 runs and you just never know … #INDvENG .. Afternoon @WasimJaffer14,” Vaughan wrote.

One of the Great test 100s from @OPope32 .. !! Another 100 runs and you just never know … #INDvENG .. Afternoon @WasimJaffer14 👍

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) January 27, 2024

England has stretched their lead to 126 runs, reaching 316/6 at stumps on the third day. Ollie Pope and Rehan Ahmed (16) remained unbeaten at the crease. The duo added a crucial 41-run partnership off just 62 balls for the seventh wicket in their second innings.

There Will Be A Lot Of Outside Noise – Ollie Pope

Before the start of the series, Ollie Pope expressed the team’s readiness for spinning tracks in India. He stated that pitches can be a talking point but added that both teams play on the same wicket, emphasizing the importance of being well-prepared for such conditions.

“There will be a lot of outside noise. And pitches can be a massive talking point. But you have to remember the two teams are playing on the exact same wicket, so we just need to be as well equipped as we can,” Pope said.

“In England, we might leave more grass on the pitch to suit our amazing seamers, so it’s no surprise if India do the same to suit their spinners. And I actually think low-scoring Test matches are pretty amazing to watch,” he added.

Also read: Tremendous temperament! Twitter hails Ollie Pope as he hits brilliant ton in Hyderabad