"It seems like reverse sweep is the new defense" - Aakash Chopra on England's batting on Day 3 of 1st Test vs India
Aakash Chopra has praised the England batters for neutralizing the Indian spin attack by playing the reverse sweep judiciously.
England reached 316/6 in their second innings at Stumps on Day 3 (Saturday, January 27) in the first Test against India in Hyderabad. They have an overall lead of 126 runs, with Ollie Pope (148*) and Rehan Ahmed (16*) at the crease.
Reviewing the third day's play in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra lauded the England batters' proficiency in playing the reverse sweep. He said (2:20):
"The first session was entirely in England's name. Zak Crawley was looking very good. Ben Duckett was a little ungainly at the start but it seems like reverse sweep is the new defense. Everyone was playing the reverse sweep."
The former India opener chose Pope as his standout performer of the day. He elaborated:
"Ollie Pope is actually my performer of the day. He is still unbeaten on 148. I found some things extremely impressive in his game. He played a shot behind the wicketkeeper while looking down, which was different, but he takes a huge stride while defending."
Pope and Ben Duckett (47) strung together a 68-run second-wicket partnership after Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Zak Crawley. The No. 3 batter then added 112 runs for the sixth wicket with Ben Foakes (34) after England were reduced to 163/5 when they lost Ben Stokes' wicket.
"He has played with immense belief" - Aakash Chopra on Ollie Pope
![Ollie Pope has struck 17 fours during his unbeaten innings. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/01/05fe6-17063641401515-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra observed that Ollie Pope predominantly scored square of the wicket. He stated (5:20):
"If you see his wagon wheel, he scored a lot of runs square of the wicket, which means he is using the sweep and reverse sweep very well. He has played with immense belief."
The cricketer-turned-commentator praised the England vice-captain for the game plan he adopted. He explained:
"He has confidence in his defense and a clear and easy game plan - plays hard sweeps and reverse sweeps. He opened up his body during Bumrah's spell so that the ball wouldn't hit his front pad at all. He looked a little ungainly against him but he is still there."
On the flip side, Chopra questioned Ben Stokes' approach. He noted that the England skipper adopts the 'Bazball' approach when he bats with the lower order, like he did in the first innings, but is extremely defensive otherwise.