Eliminating Jacob Bethell and selecting Ollie Pope to bat at number three was one of the England management’s more intriguing decisions. In the five-match series, which begins on Friday, June 20 at Headingley, Leeds, England announced their starting lineup for the opening Test match against India.
For a long period, Ollie Pope has been England’s third-best batter in Test matches. However, he was dropped lower in the order during the New Zealand trip at the end of last year due to a spell of poor form. Bethell earned three fifties in as many Test matches while batting at number three in the series.
Against India, the southpaw was competing with Ollie Pope for a position at number three. But the hitter who faces the music will be the right-handed one.
Ollie Pope century in the four-day Test match against Zimbabwe last month in Nottingham helped him win the race, England captain Ben Stokes said during the pre-match press conference. On a belter of a track, the 27-year-old hammered 171 off 166 balls.
“Well, it wasn’t us that made the big choice, huh? Selecting someone else whose last knock was 170 will be impressive. That’s about all I have to say about that,” Stokes remarked.
Ollie Pope thrilling century, according to the renowned all-rounder, demonstrated that he can withstand pressure and isn’t bothered by outside noise. However, Stokes acknowledged that players today find it difficult to ignore the criticism that is directed at them.
“I believe that because of how readily available things are these days, it’s really difficult to avoid seeing all the different types of rumours and whatnot surrounding it. I believe that you don’t really need to look for it anymore because he has scored 170 in his most recent Test matches, which sort of demonstrates how well he’s handled the increased attention. I suppose it comes with the territory. It comes with being an international player, Stokes stated.
“It’s one of those things where when as a kid you dream about playing for England and it’s an unbelievable thing, then the other side of it is that you can come under the pump a little bit and that’s part of the territory and part of handling it is also being able to handle the scrutiny that, no doubt, is always gonna come someone’s way at some point,” he said.
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