"He'll be driven to make it to number one": Pope on Root toppling Tendulkar as top run-getter in Tests
Root achieved this feat in the fourth Test at Old Trafford cricket ground on Friday. Root was removed by World No.1 all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for a brilliant 150 in 248, consisting of 14 fours.
"I'm sure if his body allows, I'm sure he'll have the hunger to play. I'm not sure how many games he needs, the way he's batting. He'll obviously be driven to make it to number one, but I think he just wants to keep playing as long as he can. The excitement he still has to play Test cricket, whenever we rock up at the start of the series, he's always got the biggest smile on his face. So I think the hunger he has for it, I wouldn't be surprised if he can chase him down," Pope told the media.
He also praised Root's 150-run innings and said it was exactly what England needed.
"Knock like today, I think exactly what the team needed. Pretty flawless, didn't really give away any chances, and just played his game. And I think, yeah, the way he goes about his cricket, the way he trains, the amount of runs he's scoring now is just amazing. He's a joy to watch and see how he goes about his stuff. And yeah, obviously just keeps getting better and better," he added.
Root continues to shine against India and surpassed Steve Smith's record on Friday for centuries against the Men in Blue. Root has now scored 12 centuries against India. Root now has nine Test hundreds against India at home - the most by any batter against an opponent in home Tests, surpassing former Australia legend Don Bradman's eight against England.
Ollie Pope explained that England skipper Ben Stokes experienced cramping in his leg, likely due to the physical demands of the ongoing series. He noted the significant amount of bowling Stokes has done, suggesting he has pushed his body to its limits.
"I think he's [Ben Stokes] just cramping down his leg, and I think it managed to spread to his whole leg from what I understand. I think it's probably just a build-up of the amount he's sort of pushed his body over the last four or five weeks. The amount he's bowled, I think, is something that it's the most he's bowled in the series so far. And obviously, we've still got a game to go. So I think he's obviously pushed himself to some serious limits so far," Pope said.
Stokes completed 11000 runs in his international career across all formats in his outing against India and remained unbeaten on 77 at the end of Day 3 of the fourth Test. England ended the day at 544/7, leading by 186 runs.
Stokes, while he completed his fifty during the final session, went off the field due to trouble in his left leg. But Stokes (77*) came back to bat and, along with Liam Dawson (21*), kept any other possible disaster at bay.
Stokes now has 11016 runs in 272 matches across all formats at an average of 35.88 with 18 hundreds and 61 fifties under his belt.
Coming to the match, England started off their day at 225/2, with Ollie Pope (20*) and Joe Root (11*) unbeaten. The duo went on to have a century partnership, building on the exploits of openers Ben Duckett (94 in 100 balls, with 13 fours) and Zak Crawley (84 in 113 balls, with 13 fours and a six). They took England to 332/2 at the end of the first session, with both batsmen having scored their fifties.
In the second session, while Washington Sundar (2/57) removed Ollie (71 in 128 balls, seven fours) and Harry Brook (3), skipper Stokes and Root thwarted any further resistance from India as Root completed his 38th Test ton and went past Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest Test run-getter.
England ended the second session at 433/4, with Stokes and Root unbeaten. Siraj and Bumrah faced fitness issues during the session, having walked off the field; Bumrah contributed only one over with the new ball.
Root was removed by Jadeja for a brilliant 150 in 248, consisting of 14 fours. Bumrah and Siraj removed Jamie Smith (9) and Chris Woakes (4) quickly, reducing England to 528/7.
Earlier, England opted to bowl first after winning the toss and India made 358 runs, with half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan (61 in 151 balls, with seven fours), Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 in 107 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (54 in 75 balls, with three fours and two sixes) were major contributions for India. Stokes (5/72) struck tough blows on India, never really letting them settle with a massive partnership
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