Axar Patel drops Ollie Pope on 110 in IND vs ENG 1st Test 

Axar Patel dropped centurion Ollie Pope on Day 3 of the ongoing India-England Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday. The all-rounder gave Pope a lifeline on the score of 110.

The costly drop came during England’s second innings. Jadeja bowled a length ball and Pope went for a reverse sweep that leapt high and reached Axar between point and gully, but the fielder failed to grab the ball as it popped out of his hands.

Watch Axar Patel’s dropped chance here:

Ollie Pope added salt to the wounds of the Indian players by smashing a boundary off the next delivery. The right-handed batter looked all at sea in the first innings, scoring just one run off 11 balls, but has made amends with a gritty century in the second innings.

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Ollie Pope helps England take a 100+ lead against India in the opening Test

A century from Ollie Pope helped England take a 100+ second innings lead against India in the opening Test on Day 3.

At the time of writing, the visitors were 311/6 after 76 overs, leading by 121 runs, with Pope (148 off 208 balls) and Rehan Ahmed (11 off 25 deliveries) at the crease.

For the hosts, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin bagged two wickets apiece.

Batting first, England put up 246 in 64.3 overs. Ben Stokes led from the front, scoring 70 off 88, with the help of three maximums and six boundaries.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja picked up three wickets for India, while Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah settled for two wickets apiece.

In response, India took a 190-run first-innings lead by posting 436. Ravindra Jadeja starred with the bat, scoring 87 off 180, hitting two sixes and seven boundaries. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal also chipped in the 80s.

Joe Root emerged as the pick of the English bowlers, returning with figures of 4/79, while Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed bagged two wickets apiece.

Follow the IND vs ENG 1st Test live scores and commentary here.