"I've had the highs of the 197 and then had the lows of getting a pair" - Ollie Pope on England's ongoing tour in India
England's vice-captain Ollie Pope recently spoke about the challenges he has faced during the ongoing gruelling five-match away from home Test series in India.
Pope kicked off the proceedings with an incredible 196-run knock in the series opener in Hyderabad, helping the visitors claim a crucial 28-run victory. However, after tasting some early success, it has all been downhill for the touring party.
Pope too struggled to get going with the bat in the fourth Test and returned with twin ducks. Hoping that England will finish the series with a consolation win, here's what he said on the YouTube channel 4Cast:
"I've had the highs of the 197 and then had the lows of getting a pair; that's India for you. One of the toughest places to come to, but we've got one more Test in Dharamsala, and I think if we can win that and get it to 3-2. It's very frustrating to not be 3-2 up, but it's a very respectable score."
Ollie Pope also spoke about why he considers Test cricket to be the most difficult format. Pinpointing the tough nature of five-day cricket, he added:
"Test cricket, for me, is the number one format of the game. It's the biggest challenge. It's a bit of a cliche, but there's a reason why they call it Test cricket because it challenges you on the pitch and off the pitch as well, especially when things don't go well."
"You've got to keep rocking up for a lot of time, five days on the bounce, and if you're having a tough week, you've got to find a way to front up, and you can learn a lot someone's character just by watching how they can go about a Test match, or especially a five-match series in something like India," Pope continued.
Ollie Pope has mustered 285 runs across eight innings at an average of 35.62 in the ongoing series. India have already pocketed the series by taking an unassailable 3-1 lead, with one encounter still to go.
"Allowed players to free up" - Ollie Pope on Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum
Ollie Pope reserved high praise on England's Test captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. He mentioned that the two have created a culture within the team that has allowed players to go out and express themselves freely.
Commenting on the leadership styles of Stokes and McCullum, Pope said:
"The leadership style of Stokesy (Stokes) and Baz (McCullum) has allowed players to free up a little bit and not dwell on the tough days, and enjoy the good days. The best examples of what they've done for this team and guys like Bashir coming in last week, and he barely bowled a bad ball in about 70 overs."
Ollie Pope also suggested that being the vice-captain of the team, he often looks to pass on suggestions to Stokes. He remarked:
"I read the game fairly well, so I can sort of help Stokesy out with tactics for batters, for field positions, especially when there's a bit of a partnership and when you're playing in India. In England, it's slightly easier, you kind of go, 'Right, we have three slips and we'll try and nick the batter off and try to get it swinging.'. But in India, a lot of the time, you need different tactics and creative ways of trying to take wickets."
The fifth and final Test between India and England will be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala from March 7 to 11.