“KL Rahul batted really well” - Ollie Pope hails the Indian opener

England No.3 batter Ollie Pope, who went on to score an exceptional century against India in the ongoing Headingley Test, has stated that he was disappointed not to convert his century into a bigger knock. 

However, he asserted that he is still a happy man with how his game is currently. While Pope stood unbeaten on 100 at the end of Day 2, he lost his wicket on Day 3 at 106 runs in 137 balls with 14 fours.

It's a long series, and there's a lot to be done in this game still as well. 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,” Pope said after Day 3 play.

Furthermore, Pope also hailed the lower-order batters, who helped their side reduce the deficit. Interestingly, England fell short by only six runs in the first innings as Chris Woakes (38) and Brydon Carse (22) played important knocks down the order. Also, Pope hailed the Indian opener KL Rahul for batting really well.

"[A deficit of] 40 or 50, just from a mindset, might have given them a little bit more confidence, knowing that they've got that head-start, but playing the game from an even playing field felt quite important. We got those two wickets; they played nicely. KL Rahul batted really well. It's important for us to get some early breakthroughs,” he added.

"It obviously would've been nice to get maybe one or two more wickets this evening, but I think the pitch is still playing really well. It's obviously such a quick-scoring ground, with the lightning [fast] outfield. It's obviously an important session tomorrow morning, and the game is poised in a pretty nice position,” he concluded.

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