England leads India by 126 runs on Day 3 of the first Test thanks to a century from Ollie Pope.

On day three of the first Test match between England and India, here on Saturday, Ollie Pope's undefeated 148 in the second innings propelled his team to 316 for six at stumps.Ollie Pope's century helped England comeback from a 190-run deficit in the first innings to build a 126-run advantage in the second. They finished with 316 for six.Despite England holding a 126-run lead with four wickets remaining and Ollie Pope reaching 148*, India's bowling coach Paras Mhambrey stated that his team was not under duress.Day 3 of the first Test began with India leading by 175 runs, with Axar Patel hoping to consolidate his position as an all-rounder and a well-positioned Ravindra Jadeja aiming for his fourth Test century. There was a great chance that England would be bowled out of the game. The host broadcaster informed Kevin Pietersen in jest at the conclusion of the day that his request for a flight on Saturday had been turned down. Thanks to a brilliant century from Ollie Pope, England not only made sure India's advantage stayed below 200, but they also built a respectable lead of 126 runs.Day 3 of the first Test began with India leading by 175 runs, with Axar Patel hoping to consolidate his position as an all-rounder and a well-positioned Ravindra Jadeja aiming for his fourth Test century. There was a great chance that England would be bowled out of the game.

The host broadcaster informed Kevin Pietersen in jest at the conclusion of the day that his request for a flight on Saturday had been turned down. Thanks to a brilliant century from Ollie Pope, England not only made sure India's advantage stayed below 200, but they also built a respectable lead of 126 runs.It was hardly a perfect day for England. Even Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah, two of India's top players, would concede that Pope may have produced the greatest knock by an international batsman in recent memory. In Chennai in 2021, Joe Root did indeed score a double century, but the circumstances and match setup were very different.Pope amassed 17 boundaries in an innings full of sweeps and reverse sweeps, the majority of which kept him undefeated at 148 off 208 balls. Even after Ashwin destroyed England's skipper Ben Stokes at 163 for 5, India was still 27 runs short of batting again. That's when things started to change in the contest.Ben Foakes and Pope teamed together to put together a crucial 123-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Axar Patel bowled Foakes with a low delivery, but Pope ensured that the England supporters could relax at the end of the game.What does it signify for India, though? With four wickets in hand, including Pope's wicket, England lead by 126 runs. Before they bat in the fourth innings, do they worry? According to bowling instructor Parash Mhambrey, no. We don't have a specific target in mind to chase, since our main goal is to arrive tomorrow morning, take early wickets, and lower their total."By establishing a goal, we are not placing any strain on ourselves. In his news conference following the game, Mhambrey stated, "We just want to bowl in the right places to extract turn and bounce from the wicket." Mhambrey derived his confidence from the fact that the pitch's turn is simple to negate because it is not a sharp turn.