It was after beating Pakistan in Rawalpindi in late 2022, the closest rival to England’s triumph in Hyderabad, that Ollie Pope first publicly emerged as a possible vice-captain to Ben Stokes. Stokes had no official deputy at the time but Pope was down to lead if the bug that swept through the camp kept the captain from playing.
Eyebrows were raised. After all, they make for a hugely contrasting pair of cricketers by way of backstory: Stokes a hyperactive, academia-averse kid from working-class Cockermouth who was spotted by Durham when playing for Cumbria, and Pope, born in Chelsea, having attended fee-paying Cranleigh and enjoyed a largely frictionless rise through the Surrey ranks.
But as they sat side-by-side on Sunday for the post-match press conference in the bowels of the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, their whites stained with the dirt and sweat from a truly astonishing 28-run win over India in their own backyard, it was a reminder that such differences mean little. In terms of cricketing outlook, they increasingly appear cut from the same cloth.
Certainly Stokes thought as much at the start of last summer, when confirming Pope had landed the role as his consigliere. He had stuck his neck out for him on taking the captaincy 12 months earlier, too, insisting Pope must return after a scrambled Ashes tour, before setting about imbuing him with the belief that he could make the No 3 spot his own despite no previous experience at first drop.
Over the course of the first Test here both shows of faith from Stokes paid a handsome dividend, Pope central to the great turnaround as both leader and batsman. Before the start of the third day, England still three wickets away from batting again and already 175 runs behind, it was Pope who addressed the team before taking the field.
Given a slightly skittish failure in the first innings, and this being Pope’s first Test back since his Ashes was ruined by a dislocated shoulder at Lord’s that required surgery, the 26-year-old could have been forgiven for looking inwards. Instead, apparently speaking with clarity and conviction, he told his teammates to only play the moment, never the state of play.
Deeds followed the words, with that masterful 196 compiled across six hours against the world’s premier spin attack on a turning pitch, assisted by the lower order, having pretty much already entered English folklore. And the gushing didn’t just come from English mouths either, even if Joe Root calling it “a new benchmark” in India was quite something given his own prowess in Asian conditions.
“I haven’t seen a better exhibition of sweeping and reverse sweeping ever in these conditions against that quality of bowling,” said Rahul Dravid, India’s head coach and an all-time great himself. Unlike his captain, Rohit Sharma, who said he doesn’t focus on opponents, Dravid admitted revised plans are urgently needed.
Not that Stokes had his hand off the tiller here; his fingerprints were all over this one. It was his 14th win from 19 as full-time Test captain and, as he put it, the greatest to date. Given the resources at his disposal – resources further reduced by Jack Leach’s injured knee – it is hard to think of many others who could have pulled it off.
So much goes back to the handling of Tom Hartley on the first evening, pushing the rookie through the mauling he was receiving from Yashasvi Jaiswal and out the other side. “It’s the confidence that he has,” said the 24-year-old, his match-sealing seven for 62 the third five-wicket haul by a debutant spinner under Stokes. “The way he just builds you up, there’s no negative thoughts, it’s all positive.
“I’d watched a bit and they’ve done some rogue things,” replied Hartley, when asked if he had taken in much of England under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum previously. “After being in this Test match I’m all aboard. Even before, I was happy with it, I was all-in anyway. They just bring so much confidence and life.”
There was, of course, also a stubbornness at play here; the kind that saw the team travel to Abu Dhabi for a pre-series camp – as was the case before Pakistan – despite knowing the grief it would attract. As per Hartley, the ability to tailor pitches to order was vital, starting the week flat and making them more capricious as the trip went on.
Pope in particular was said to have relished this, with the upshot there for all to see. It was a high-risk innings but one Stokes knew he could deliver when recalling him.
The captain looked to be moving better after knee surgery – as shown by the athletic run out of Ravindra Jadeja on day four – and he remains committed to leading this Test side for some time yet. But when the day comes, and if it is Pope who steps up, a different backstory won’t necessarily mean a different approach.
