England opener Ben Duckett praised teammate Ollie Pope’s century and discussed facing Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah during the post-match press conference on day two of the Leeds Test against India. England finished the day at 209/3, trailing India by 262 runs, after India posted 471 in their first innings powered by centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant.Pope reached his ninth Test century and second against India, continuing his impressive form at number three. England’s strong batting performance came after bowling India out from a commanding position of 430/4.“Yeah, I just think he was so calm coming out. You know, he probably could not walk out in tougher conditions with Jasprit running down the hill with the lights on, so, you know, to, I think at one point he was run-a-ball 50 or around that, so. It was great batting with him. I always have a good time out there in the middle with him, and it was goosebumps when he got to 100, you know, you could see what it meant to him. He is such a big part of this dressing room, and it was just great to see him be there 100 not out,” Duckett said about Pope’s innings.
Pope has accumulated 2,124 runs in 29 matches at number three position, averaging 45.19 with eight centuries and seven fifties. His highest score stands at 205, maintaining a strike rate above 75.Duckett acknowledged Bumrah, who claimed all three English wickets, as the “best bowler in the world” regardless of conditions.“He is good in India on the flattest pitches ever, and you know when he is coming in down the hill with the lights on and it is swinging both ways, it is tough, and I feel like we minimise the damage early on. You know, it could have been a lot worse today, so I think we are pretty happy in the position we’re in,” Duckett added.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?Speaking about Bumrah’s bowling style, Duckett elaborated: “First of all, how unique his run-up is. You are obviously waiting and waiting for him to get there, um, and I think just his ability to bowl three or four different balls with no cue. You do not know he is bowling a bouncer or a slower ball or an outswinger or an inswinger until it comes out of his hand, really. He has got such a fast wrist. So that is why you have got to watch the ball so hard with him.“Duckett also praised England pacer Josh Tongue, calling him the “X-Factor” who efficiently dismisses lower-order batsmen. “You know, there’s nothing more frustrating than 9, 10, 11 (batters) chipping in with runs and putting on a partnership,” he stated.England’s day two performance included a solid half-century from Duckett, who scored 62 runs off 94 balls with nine boundaries. His partnership with Pope provided stability after Zak Crawley’s early dismissal.India’s first innings featured centuries from Jaiswal (101), captain Gill (147), and Pant (134). However, England’s Ben Stokes (4/66) and Josh Tongue (4/86) triggered a collapse from 430/4.At stumps, Pope remained unbeaten on 100 with Harry Brook yet to score, while Bumrah proved to be the standout bowler for India with three wickets.
