Selected at number three ahead of the burgeoning talent of Jacob Bethell, who averaged 52 on his first Test tour of New Zealand, Pope settled after early scares to compile his ninth Test century.
Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson returned to England Test set up after a gap of eight years, replacing injured Shoaib Bashir in the squad for the fourth Test against India.
While Ricky Ponting has declared England "red-hot favourites," he's not writing off India just yet-especially given their familiarity with worn-out, turning tracks.
England vice-captain Ollie Pope won't be surprised if Joe Root overtakes Sachin Tendulkar and becomes the all-time leading run-getter in Tests.
Archer, who has taken 42 wickets in 13 Tests, made his first appearance in a first-class match in four years on Sunday in the County Championship with Sussex.
Alcaraz ends Tarvet fairytale to reach Wimbledon third round
Mohammed Siraj has always had this towering shadow of Jasprit Bumrah on him but on an overcast Monday at the Oval, the second-in-command carved a bright silhouette for himself.
England had moved to within 35 runs of securing a famous victory over India when bad light and torrential rain ended an extraordinary fourth day of the final Test at The Oval on Sunday.
India roared back into contention on an exhilarating day two of the fifth and final Test at The Oval on Friday as their seamers restricted England to a 23-run lead.
With Jasprit Bumrah crafting chances by the dozen, a spate of dropped sitters, including three by Yashasvi Jaiswal, handed England a lifeline and drew scathing remarks from Stuart Broad and Sunil Gavaskar.
England gained the upper hand after a rain-hit first day of the final Test against India at The Oval on Thursday
As England and India gear up for the final showdown in the five-match series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval, former England speedster Stuart Broad feels the hosts should make some changes to their Playing XI and rest tearaway Jofra Archer.
Mohammed Siraj was penalised 15 per cent of his match fee and docked one demerit point following an aggressive reaction to the wicket of England opener Ben Duckett.
India captain Shubman Gill threw his weight behind Gautam Gambhir following the latter's fiery exchange with The Oval's chief curator Lee Fortis, firmly asserting that the India coach was well within his rights to inspect the square.
India crushed England by 336 runs to level the series at 1-1 on Sunday
Akash Deep's 10-wicket match-haul sets up famous win for India in the second Test against England at Edgbaston.
After sending a strong message in response to his critics before the squad announcement for the India series, Pope assured that he knows where he stands in the "hierarchy".
India all-rounder Shardul Thakur on Thursday lauded Rishabh Pan't "unmatched" courage and pain threshold after the latter came out to bat on day two of the fourth Test against England with a broken foot.
After a cautious start, Crawley and Duckett punished the straying Indian bowlers with an array of crisp boundaries. The pair blunted the new ball and raced to 77 without loss at tea.
Jadeja consolidates as world No 1 Test all-rounder, Abhishek Sharma is top ranked T20I batter
Despite the ups and downs, The Oval remains a ground of rich memories and monumental moments for Indian cricket.
Commentators speculated the injury might be a fracture, though the extent of the damage remains unconfirmed.
'We cannot say suddenly that Crawley and Pope have solved the technical and mental issues that have dogged their careers because the Zimbabwe bowling was so average.'
Siraj was the day's hero and India have pulled ahead, but England are not out of the contest by any stretch of imagination.
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope scored centuries to take England to a massive 498/3 at the close on the first day of their one-off Test against Zimbabwe.
Even as the conditions changed, bright sunshine alternating with gloom, the Indian batters gritted their teeth and fought it out.
Washington Sundar's double strike pegged England back in the afternoon session, leaving them struggling 175/6 at tea on Day 4 of the third Test, at Lord's.
Siraj, Krishna, Akash Shine as India's Pace Future Takes Shape
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Saturday.
Spin great Anil Kumble praised Nitish Kumar Reddy's showing with the ball on Day 1 of the Lord's Test on Thursday.
Jofra Archer will play his first Test in more than four years as he replaces fellow seamer Josh Tongue for the third Test at Lord's.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain was full of praise for Akash Deep
Rishabh Pant is only the second wicketkeeper in the history of Test cricket to hit two hundreds in the same match.
'He leads a lot of actions. And in this series so far, he's done it with the ball at times that we've needed somebody to put his hand up and create something.'
Ahead of England's five-match Test series against India at home, head coach Brendon McCullum hailed young all-rounder Jacob Bethell
India and England players will push their tired bodies on the line with everything to play for in the fifth and final Test starting at The Oval on Thursday
The Thomas Tuchel-coached Three Lions were handed VIP tickets for the race that has McLaren's Oscar Pilastri on pole.
Nitish Kumar Reddy made a promise to himself post the Australia tour that he would improve his bowling.
Jamie Overton returns to the Test line-up for the first time since earning his sole cap against New Zealand at Headingley in June 2022.
Ollie Pope believes the young Indian side, led by a 'fantastic' Shubman Gill, has plenty of depth and talent, but it will miss the aura of Virat Kohli
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