"I'd pick him ahead of Ollie Pope" - Dinesh Karthik's massive statement on young RCB batter ahead of 3rd ENG vs IND 2025 Test

Former India keeper-batter and RCB's mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik has stated that he would pick Jacob Bethell ahead of Ollie Pope in the current England Test team. Admitting that dropping Pope would be unfair on the experienced cricketer, he opined that young Bethell is more versatile as a batter.

Pope's position at No. 3 in the Test team was under the scanner heading into the five-match series against India. He, however, shut the noise around his place in the team by scoring 171 against Zimbabwe in Nottingham. The right-handed batter followed it up with 106 in the first innings of the Leeds Test. However, in his last three innings, the 27-year-old has scored 8, 0 and 24.

During a discussion on Sky Sports, which also featured Nasser Hussain, Ravi Shastri and Michael Atherton, Karthik was asked whether he would stick to Pope at No. 3 or prefer Bethell at the position. The former India keeper replied:

"I am a bit biased. I would pick him [Bethell] at No. 3. At this point of time, I'd pick him ahead of Ollie Pope. The fact is that if you are an England selector and coach, it's unfair to Pope. He got a hundred in the last game. But if you look at the long run, it would be interesting to see where Bethell and Pope finish. I feel, along with Harry Brook, he is probably the big one to watch out for."

Praising Bethell's talent and grasping power, the 40-year-old went on to add:

"You can almost bat him anywhere. Three to seven, he is ready. In IPL, we have picked him in such a way that he gives us flexibility to bat - opening, three and even middle of the order and finisher. What I really liked about him is his ability to understand, absorb information and quickly transfer it to his game."

Bethell played only two matches for RCB in IPL 2025. Opening the innings against CSK at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, he smashed 55 off 33 deliveries, hitting eight fours and two sixes. The left-handed batter added 97 for the first wicket with Virat Kohli in 9.5 overs.

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Ollie Pope is averaging in the mid-30s after 58 Tests

The debate over England's No. 3 position in Test cricket has gained stream due to Pope's middling numbers despite being given ample opportunities. The 27-year-old has played 58 Test matches and has scored 3,439 runs at an average of 35.45, with nine hundreds and 15 half-centuries.

On the contrary, while many experts are backing Bethell to take over from Pope, the 21-year-old has a pretty underwhelming first-class record. In 24 matches, he has an average of 28.61. The southpaw, however, scored three fifties in six innings in his debut Test series against New Zealand in November-December 2024.