The 23-year-old, who scored his maiden century in South Africa in January 2020, has struggled to convert his starts this year. His best score before Friday’s 81 was 34 against India in Chennai in February.
Pope, who was benched during the first three Tests, returned to the playing XI in place of the wicket-keeper batsman. joss butler who took a break to be with his wife during the birth of his second child.
Pope didn’t let the opportunity go to waste and stitched together two important fifty-plus partnerships Jonny Bairstow And Moeen Ali To bowl England out for 290 from 62/5.
“It’s tough, I thought it was frustrating at times. It’s been a learning curve to be honest. I’ve learned how to deal with noise, off the pitch, and I want to be as confident in my game as I can.” I can,” Pope told reporters after the second day’s play.
“You have to listen to the people you trust and the people you know to get you the best advice. There is a lot of noise as players, which always comes with playing for England. It’s about trying to listen to the right people and the people you trust best.”
Reflecting on his dislocated shoulder in the third Test against Pakistan in August 2020, which kept him out of the rest of the year, he said, “It has been a stop-start career so far. I made my debut almost four years ago; I’ve been in and out and have had shoulder operations.”
“Reminds you to do everything you can to be in the park first, the last thing you want to do is give someone your space,” Pope said.
Pope, who averages 101.8 in 19 innings at The Oval for Surrey, missed a “dream” century.
“It’s my first Test at my home ground and a really special occasion for me. I would have loved to get out of line… you dream of scoring a century in front of a packed house on your home ground.
“Hopefully I will get some more opportunities in the future, but for now I am happy to contribute to get the team in good shape,” he added.
After struggling with middle and off guard first, Pope made a subtle shift down the middle watching his captain Joe Root play.
He said, ‘To be honest, I have seen the way Ruthie has played this series and how she plays. There have been good talks with the coaches and senior players as well and I believe this Indian attack is very skillful.
“As a batsman, you are going to get out either way, whether the team is attacking the fifth stump or on a knee roll… I knew you have to adapt your game accordingly. That’s what I did; decided maybe a few weeks ago that I was going to go about my business that way,” he said.
“You have to mold your game accordingly, so I probably decided a few weeks ago how I would go about my business,” he said in his 159-ball knock.
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