🏏 Pope Century Sparks England’s Comeback

Pope century stole the spotlight on Day 3 of the Headingley Test as England roared back into the match. India, once cruising at 430/3, crashed to 471 all out, losing 7 wickets for just 41 runs. Despite centuries from Shubman Gill (147), Rishabh Pant (134), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), India threw away a dominant position.

In response, Ollie Pope’s unbeaten 100 led England to 209/3, reducing the deficit to 262 runs. The match, which appeared one-sided earlier, now hangs in the balance.

💯 Pope Century Steers England After Early Setback

Pope century came at a critical juncture. Zak Crawley fell early to a seaming delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, but Pope played with poise. His partnership with Ben Duckett (62) revived England’s innings. They added 122 runs together, batting confidently against both pace and spin.

Pope reached his hundred in just 125 balls, blending smart strike rotation with precise boundary hitting. Though Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped him at 44, Pope capitalized and kept India under pressure. His strokeplay, especially the back-foot punches and glides, frustrated the bowlers.

⚡ India Collapse Despite Centuries

India started the day at 359/3 and looked poised for a total over 550. Gill and Pant continued smoothly at first. Pant dominated Shoaib Bashir, launching two sixes and a four in a single over. He brought up his hundred with a swept six and celebrated with a somersault.

However, the script flipped. Gill mistimed a sweep and found deep square leg. Soon after, Karun Nair departed for a duck. With momentum slipping, Pant was trapped LBW by Josh Tongue. A review couldn’t save him.

From there, the tail crumbled. Ben Stokes and Tongue wrapped it up quickly. India lost control completely, folding before lunch. The score of 471 stood as the lowest in Test history for a team with three individual centuries.

🎯 Bumrah Leads Indian Fight Despite Pope Century

Even with the Pope century dominating the evening, Bumrah gave India moments of hope. He removed Crawley early and later bowled Joe Root, dismissing him for the 10th time in Tests. His line and length remained sharp all day.

In the final over, Bumrah produced one last twist. He had Harry Brook caught at midwicket, but the joy turned brief when replays showed he had overstepped. That no-ball denied India a critical breakthrough.

📊 Session Highlights

Session	Summary
Morning	Gill and Pant add runs before sudden collapse begins
Afternoon	India bowled out; England start steadily
Evening	Pope and Duckett add 122; Bumrah gets Root; no-ball saves Brook

📋 Brief Scores

• India 471 (Gill 147, Pant 134, Jaiswal 101; Stokes 4-66, Tongue 4-86)
• England 209/3 (Pope 100*, Duckett 62; Bumrah 3-48)

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