Should Jacob Bethell replace Ollie Pope at No 3 for England? And is Ben Stokes under pressure after England’s heavy defeat to India in the second Test? Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain hosted a special Sky Sports Cricket podcast, live from Lord’s, to discuss.
Bethell was the standout omission from Stokes’ side across the first two Tests, with many touting the young batter as a star for the future who deserved a spot in the side.
England opted to stick with Pope and, while he was a player under pressure heading into the series, he stood up to the criticism in his opening innings of the first Test, hitting a strong 106 runs.
However, Pope scored just eight runs in the second innings at Headingley and then at Edgbaston suffered a golden duck in the first innings before scoring 24 runs in the second as England fell to a 336-run defeat in the second Test.
On the Sky Sports Cricket podcast, Karthik said he believes Bethell would offer England flexibility in their batting line-up like he does for IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore, for whom Karthik is batting coach, and thinks he is the next star that will emerge for England after Harry Brook.
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Akash Deep claims his first two wickets of the day as Ollie Pope and Harry Brook are both bowled out early on day five of the second Test
“I am a bit biased, I would pick him (Bethell), I would bat him at No 3,” Karthik said.
“At this point in time I would pick him ahead of Ollie Pope but if you are an England coach Pope got a 100 in the previous game.
“But if you look, it will be very interesting to see where Bethell and Pope finish because I feel, along with Harry Brook, I think Bethell is the big one to watch out for.
“Bethell, you can almost bat him anywhere from no 3 to no 7, he is ready.
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Take a look at the best shots from Jacob Bethell’s brilliant 82 against the West Indies.
“In the IPL, we picked him in such a way that he has the flexibility to open, bat at three, or even middle of the order.
“What I really liked about him was his ability to absorb information and quickly transfer it to his game.
“Very young, very hungry, and most of all he is extremely dedicated towards the sport.
“He is single-minded and wants to do well in life and become the best – if you have that as your goal you can’t go wrong.”
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Highlights of Ollie Pope’s century on his return to Test cricket against India
Stokes under pressure? The other captain is getting runs!
India captain Shubman Gill entered the second Test at Edgbaston facing questions as he stuck with the decision to rest star bowler Jasprit Bumrah despite his side being 1-0 down in the five-Test series.
However, Gill then made sure to deliver, scoring 269 in the first innings and 161 in the second, to help his side to their first-ever win at Edgbaston.
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Shubman Gill reaches 100 in the second innings for India against England on Day 4 of the second Test at Edgbaston
Hussain feels that firmly puts the pressure back on Stokes as the England captain now not only has to make the off-field decisions but also start to get runs for his side too.
“I think Ben Stokes has the tactics, the emotional intelligence he shows with new young players like Shoaib Bashir, he puts his arm around them,” Hussain said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast.
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England captain Ben Stokes was enraged by some DRS controversy, moments before his side took their first wicket on day 3 of the second Test between England and India
“England players love playing for Ben Stokes but he is also tough. I did the documentary for Sky and spoke to Jurgen Klopp and asked what is leadership about, and he said it is about being their friend but not being their best friend.
“I think Stokes has got that. He is their friend in that dressing room but if you cross Stokes and don’t do what he asks you to do, you won’t be in that side for very long.
“You feel like India have manoeuvred it well. People were critical of them leaving Jasprit Bumrah out and how they were going to take 20 wickets without Bumrah – well they have done that on a very flat pitch at Edgbaston.
“Now they have their trump card coming in on a ground (Lord’s) that he has bowled well at before and a ground at which he wants to get on the Honours Board after two weeks of rest.
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England captain Ben Stokes shares his disappointment as his side fell to a heavy defeat to India as things are now level 1-1 in the series
“England have got to come in with either tired bowlers or, if they leave their tired bowlers out, they have got to come in with two bowlers who haven’t played recently in Gus Atkinson or haven’t played a Test match in four years in Jofra Archer.
“Stokes’ tiredness comes not only with the on-field but the off-field. That is the thing with leadership of a Test side that you should never underestimate.
“That is why Shubman Gill, with all the questions about Bumrah for Edgbaston, everything would have ended up at his door.
“For him to go out and bat the way he did in that Test match was excellent.
“Now Stokes has to do all that thinking and has to get some runs, let’s be honest.
“The opposition captain is getting a shedload of runs and Stokes’ run-getting has fallen away. So, he is under a bit of pressure.”
Watch day one of the third Test between England and India, at Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10am Thursday (11am first ball) or stream without a contract.
England vs India – results and schedule
All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all on Sky Sports
