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McCullum wants batter to 'hang loose' to calm early nerves

- DAVID CHARLESWORTH

BRENDON MCCULLUM has urged Ollie Pope to loosen up early in his innings - but pointed out that England's vice-captain is not alone in being dubbed a nervy starter.

Pope has suffered mixed fortunes so far in India.

A career-defining 196 underpinned a famous England triumph in Hyderabad, but the No.3 has amassed just 89 runs in his other seven knocks.

He has been accused of being too much on edge when first arriving at the crease and faced just three deliveries in Ranchi without scoring as India moved into an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match Test series.

His first-innings dismissal, charging down the wicket to Akash Deep and out lbw, was symptomatic of a batter with a cluttered mindset.

But McCullum argued that even some of the greats could be cagey at the outset.