After being outplayed by India in the first couple of days, England bounced back brilliantly on Day 3 of the opening Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

The visitors were in dire straits at 165/5 during their second essay after conceding a significant first-innings lead of 190 runs.

Amid the pressure situation, Ollie Pope stepped up to the plate for England, slamming an attacking century to put the Indian bowlers on the backfoot. Thanks to his unbeaten 148, the tourists ended the third day on 316/6, leading India by 126 runs.

Despite England’s fightback, former India skipper Sourav Ganguly feels that the hosts will win the series comprehensively.

"India will win the series, the matter is whether they will win it 4-0 or 5-0. Every Test will be decisive. England could have won this Test match had they batted well. One cannot win against India by making 230 or 240 runs on Indian soil. Had they made 350 or 400, they could have beaten India, but they weren't able to do that. It's a tough series for England. Any team other than the Australia of that era could not create any impact here," Ganguly said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

The former BCCI president also predicted the winner of the T20 World Cup 2024, slated to be held in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to June 29.

According to Ganguly, India will have a great chance of winning the showpiece ICC event as conditions in the West Indies and USA will be similar to that of India.

"India have a good chance in the T20 World Cup. Recently, India played in the World Cup final, and it was miserable that they lost against Australia. I didn't expect that after playing in a very good manner throughout the tournament they will lose, but it happens in sports," Ganguly said.

"India is a very good side. There will be another opportunity for India as the conditions in the West Indies and America are like India. The IPL will serve as a preparation for the World Cup," he added.

(Hindustan Times inputs)