Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook reveals why he thinks Ollie Pope deserves No 3 spot against India

Sir Alastair Cook believes Ollie Pope deserves to keep his place at No 3 for the start of England’s big Test series of the summer.

Speaking at the launch of The Overlap and Betfair's Stick to Cricket show, Cook said that rival Jacob Bethell sacrificed his chance to occupy that position against India at Headingley on Friday when he opted to play in the Indian Premier League rather than face Zimbabwe last month.

Warwickshire’s Bethell, 21, made an impressive start to his Test career with three half-centuries against New Zealand before Christmas when Pope slipped down the order and took the wicketkeeping gloves.

But Bethell’s decision, made in conjunction with the England and Wales Cricket Board, to gain a season’s experience with IPL champions Royal Challengers Bangalore allowed Pope to return to his more familiar role at first wicket down and he responded with 171 against the Zimbabweans.

‘When I left New Zealand I thought they'd go with Jacob Bethell but if he isn't leaving the IPL to come and play a Test match, for whatever reason that is, that's the way the cards have fallen,’ Cook said.

‘Whether it's Bethell's fault or not, if he was that desperate to play I would have said he would have come out and played, then he'd have guaranteed his England selection.’

Pope is vice-captain to Ben Stokes in Test cricket, but with competition for places developing there were no guarantees heading into a year that includes 10 matches - five versus India at home followed by an away Ashes - of his retention.

‘Will Pope play at number three in Perth? He's in possession at the minute and we'll find out if he's good enough against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah,’ Cook added, in conversation with Mail Sport’s David Lloyd, 2005 Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan and another former England international Phil Tufnell.

‘The issue I've always said about Pope, and I don't think this changes, is his first 20 balls. Tuffers is more likely to get through his first 20 balls.’

Meanwhile, a change of personnel at the top of India’s order is guaranteed for the series opener in Leeds following the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the opening stages of 2025.

‘One thing we know of India is that they're going to be so talented,’ Cook continued.

‘They could pick 18 batsmen of almost the same quality and it'd be really interesting to see whether that talent - without those two there - now flies.

‘They think: 'I can actually express myself, we can bat how we want to bat.’ Obviously, if you go into a batters’ meeting and Kohli is like: “This is what we should do.’ They all might have to nod. Now they might go: “Actually, we're younger, we want to take on England a bit more, we want to be more aggressive, this is what suits us.”’

Betfair are set for a big summer and winter of cricket, launching a new show with The Overlap: Stick to Cricket. Don't miss the first episode next week, where the team will be reviewing the opening Test of the series between England and India.