Ben Stokes explains Ollie Pope selection over Jacob Bethell for India Test

England announced their playing XI for the first Test against India in the five-match series that gets underway at Headingley, Leeds, on Friday, June 20. One of the surprising omissions made by the England management was dropping Jacob Bethell and preferring Ollie Pope to bat at No. 3.

 

Pope was England's No. 3 batter in Tests for some considerable time. But for a spell of lukewarm form, he was relegated deeper into the order during the New Zealand tour towards the end of last year.

 

Bethell played at No. 3 in the series and made three fifties in three Tests. The left-hander was competing with Pope for a berth at No. 3 against India. Yet, it is the right-hander batter who will have an opportunity to face the music.

 

At the pre-match press conference, England captain Ben Stokes stated that Ollie Pope’s hundred against Zimbabwe in the recent four-day match at Nottingham secured his spot in the playing XI. The 27-year-old blasted 171 off 166 balls on a belter of a pitch.

 

Here is what Stokes said:

 

"Well, the big selection just came from not us, um. It will be remarkable to choose someone else if their last knock was 170. That's pretty much all I need to say on that," 

 

The all-time great all-rounder added that Pope's thrilling century proved that he isn't fazed by external noise, and he can live with pressure. Stokes, though, conceded that it is tough for players these days to not see the criticism heading their way.

 

"I think in this day and age, it's very tough not to see all the kinds of speculation and stuff around it just because of how easily accessible things are. You don't even have to go and hunt for it to see it these days, I think, scoring 170, in his last Test matches sort of showing how well he's handled that extra scrutiny of it, and it comes with the territory, I guess. When you are an international player, it comes with it," Stokes said.

 

"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 added.