• England registered a thrilling 28-run victory over India in opening Test of the five match series at Hyderabad.

  • Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley emerged as the heroes of England's famous win.

Twitter reactions: Ollie Pope’s 196 and Tom Hartley’s sensational 7-fer seals England’s victory over India in Hyderabad Test
Ollie Pope's 196 and Tom Hartley's sensational 7-fer seals England's victory over India (Image Source: Twitter)

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The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad witnessed a captivating turn of events on Day 4 of the opening Test between India and England. What started as a game hanging in the balance took an unexpected twist, bringing the eventual outcome of the match in favour of the visitors. Tom Hartley‘s impressive seven-wicket haul put India on the back foot and sealed victory for visitors despite resilient performances from Ravichandran Ashwin and KS Bharat.

Ollie Pope’s herculean effort

Beginning the day at 316/6 with a lead of 126 runs, England aimed to build a substantial lead over India’s first-innings score. Hartley and Rehan Ahmed played crucial roles in guiding England to a formidable total of 430, setting a challenging target of 231 for India. Despite Ollie Pope falling short of a double century with a brilliant knock of 196, England looked poised to take control of the game.

India’s tough chase

In pursuit of the target, India’s batting lineup faced a stern test. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma provided a decent start, but Hartley’s quick wickets created a tough situation for the hosts, leaving them at 119-7. The Indian team found themselves in a precarious position, staring at the possibility of a defeat.

Ravichandran Ashwin and KS Bharat’s resilience

Amid the adversity, Ashwin and Bharat emerged as the saviors for India. Displaying grit and determination, they joined forces to resist the English bowling attack. Both Ashwin and Bharat added 28 runs each to the scoreboard. Their partnership not only stabilized the innings but also gave India a glimmer of hope. But unfortunately, Bharat and Ashwin couldn’t survive the day and fell victim to Hartley, which was followed by the final wicket as England registered a dramatic 28-run win.

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Tom Hartley’s impact

Hartley, with figures of 7/62, was the standout performer for England on Day 4. His crucial wickets destabilized the Indian batting lineup, putting the visitors in a strong position and eventually guiding them to victory. Additionally, Joe Root and Jack Leach also chipped in with a wicket each, contributing to England’s dominant performance with the ball.

With this win, England have now taken a lead (1-0) over India in the five-match series.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

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VISHWANATH HARIHARAN
Vishwanath Hariharan is Content Strategist at CricketTimes.com. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. From breaking news stories to in-depth features and opinion pieces, he has covered a wide range of topics. Vishwanath is very fond of watching cricket. Like many others, he too grew up watching, playing, and imitating his favourite players of the game. MS Dhoni is like a demigod to him. You can connect with him at vishwanath.hariharan@crickettimes.com and follow him on Twitter & Linkedin.