3rd Test: Pope Has His 'fingers Crossed' As Stokes Battles Injury At Lord's

Tendulkar Trophy Test: England skipper Ben Stokes seemingly struggled with an apparent groin injury during Day 1 of the Lord’s Test on Thursday. He was seen limping around the pitch while he navigated his way to an unbeaten 39 at Stumps.

England vice-captain Ollie Pope has his ‘fingers crossed’ and is hoping for a magical recovery for the all-rounder, given the importance of the third Test, with the series tied at one-a-piece.

“Fingers crossed he can do something magic and come back strong. Clearly we've got a big Test over the next four days and a big two coming up. It's important to try to manage him.

"One of my roles is to make sure he doesn't push himself to a ridiculous place. I'm sure the physios and medics will work with him to lay out a plan and I'll help push him in the right direction,” said Pope in the post-day press conference.

Joe Root showed his class in making runs on a hard-fought and attritional day of Test cricket, reaching 99 not out as England reached 251/4 in 83 overs against India at stumps on day one of the third Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Lord's.

Although England showed incredible resiliency and grittiness in the face of the Indian bowling attack, it was quite a contrast to their usual aggressive ‘Bazball’ style of play. Pope, who scored 44 off 104 deliveries, said England are satisfied with the way they adapted and will aim for a 400-500 + score.

Joe Root showed his class in making runs on a hard-fought and attritional day of Test cricket, reaching 99 not out as England reached 251/4 in 83 overs against India at stumps on day one of the third Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Lord's.

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"We had to adapt the way we do play - that is something we are constantly trying to be better at, working out when to press the button and when to absorb pressure,” he added.

Article Source: IANS