England aren’t going to put the broom away in India.
The Poms produced one of their greatest wins in Test history with a 28-run victory in the series opener in Hyderabad.
Ollie Pope’s masterful knock of 196 got the visitors back in the match and he put on a reverse sweeping clinic.
India didn’t have an answer to Pope’s recordbreaking reverse sweep antics.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, England attempted 54 reverse sweeps or reverse scoops in the match — 25 of those by Pope — scored 84 runs off those shots, and lost only one wicket.
It’s a tactic England will surely use more and more throughout the series and Joe Root was spotted getting in on the act ahead of the second Test in Vizag starting on Friday.
The Telegraph’s cricket reporter Will Macpherson shared footage of Root batting left handed and attempting reverse sweeps in the nets ahead of the second Test.
“Joe Root setting up as a left-hander at England training in Vizag,” Macpherson wrote.
Pope’s success with the reverse sweep raised eyebrows with cries for a rule change to stop batsmen from changing their stance emerging.
England great Kevin Pietersen and leading cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle clashed over the issue during the TV commentary and carried their debate onto social media.
The issue has been debated countless times previously with calls for bowlers to have the option of switching which side of the stumps they bowl from — or even changing hand — while batsmen have the same options up the other end.
It has also been pointed out that the reverse sweep protects batsmen from facing LBW dismissals for deliveries that pitch outside leg stump.
Reverse sweeping was Australia’s downfall in the second Test in Dehli last year when the Aussies attempted 20 sweeps and reverse sweeps to lose 6/29 and the Test match.
“It’s 3:25 local time and I’m off downstairs because your talking rubbish,” Pietersen told Bhogle on air during the first Test between England and India.
Pietersen wasn’t backing down on Twitter.
Bhogle responded: “Absolute nonsense! If you want to switch hit allow a bowler to bowl with both hands. Because something is difficult, it doesn’t make it acceptable.
“The bowler has to inform the umpire if he wants to bowl left handed, the batsman must have the same condition. May the debate continue.”
Root’s own mastery of the sweep and reverse has seen him successfully counter spin on subcontinent tracks, but he said Pope’s knock had shifted the standards.
“I’m not any more. I think that’s the benchmark,” Root said.
“I might have scored a few runs in the subcontinent. But not on a surface like that against an attack like that. Honestly, that was really special today and it gives a lot of confidence to the rest of the group as well.”
“It’s an absolute masterclass on how to bat in these conditions as an overseas player,” Root told reporters.
“Someone that’s not exposed to these surfaces day in day out and to come back off a serious injury like he had in summer and have that amount of time out of the game and then put together that … I’m speechless.”
Root, who has scored over 11,000 runs at an average of over 50 in 136 Tests, added: “It’s one of the best knocks that I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen a lot of cricket.
“To witness that today was really special. I’m so, so pleased for him.” Pope struck his fifth Test ton and first against India to stand calm after England lost key batsmen including Root (two), Jonny Bairstow (10) and skipper Ben Stokes (six).
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