He was dismissed for a duck and 24 runs in the second fixture.
Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has opined that England should drop their vice-captain, Ollie Pope, for the third England vs India Test at the iconic Lord’s Stadium. Instead, Karthik suggested to play youngster Jacob Bethell at his place of No.3 as he felt that the 21-year-old’s versatility could benefit England in the format.
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The former player acknowledged that it would be harsh on Pope to get axed from the team after scoring 106 runs in the series opener in Leeds. However, he believes that alongside England’s newly appointed white-ball captain Harry Brook, Bethell is also a promising youngster who could shine for England in the long run.
“If you are an England selector and coach, it’s unfair to Pope. But if you look at the long run, I feel, along with Harry Brook, he is probably the big one to watch out for,” he stated on a Sky Sports show.
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Notably, the 21-year-old played under Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) batting coach Karthik’s guidance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The 40-year-old explained Bethell’s flexibility to play anywhere in the batting order, which also helps the team to adapt according to the conditions.
“I am a bit biased. You can almost bat him anywhere. Three to seven, he is ready. What I really liked about him is his ability to understand, absorb information and quickly transfer it to his game,” added Karthik.
Both matches of the England vs India series so far have witnessed a feast of runs. In the first fixture, a total of seven centuries were scored, among which five came from the Indian batters. But valuable contributions from the entire lineup helped England to gain an early lead by defeating India even after putting up a combined 835 runs in two innings.
However, India bounced back in the second match to level the series before heading into the Lord’s Test. A record-breaking performance from India skipper Shubman Gill (269 and 161) guided the team towards their first-ever 1,000-plus total in a single match. Brook’s 158 and keeper Jamie Smith’s 184* and 88-run knocks tried to script a fightback from England.
But the pace duo of Mohammed Siraj and Akashdeep Singh scalped a total of 17 wickets to clinch a maiden victory at the Edgbaston Stadium. They won the match by a huge 336 runs. The five-match series is now evenly poised as the two sides will next clash against each other at Lord’s. The enthralling fixture will commence on July 10.
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