Nottingham, May 23 -- After scoring a ton against Zimbabwe during the ongoing one-off Test, Ollie Pope dismissed the growing speculation about his axing from England's squad in the upcoming five high-stakes Tests against India, scheduled to begin from June 20.

Test captain Ben Stokes dropped a compelling hint about including young Jacob Bethell in England's squad, citing his impressive run in New Zealand last year. Bethell's inclusion would likely come at the expense of opener Zak Crawley or the number three Pope, who laboured for runs during the three Tests against the Blackcaps.

On the opening day of the one-off Test, Crawley crossed the three-digit mark, which eluded his bat for the first time since July 2023. After being trapped by ...