“I would pick him at No.3 ahead of Ollie Pope” - Dinesh Karthik suggests a chance in England’s playing XI for Lord’s Test

Former Indian keeper-batter and commentator Dinesh Karthik has stated that Jacob Bethell, the batting all-rounder, could be an ideal replacement for Ollie Pope at No.3 in England’s playing XI for the third Test at Lord’s in London, scheduled to take place from Thursday, July 10.

Notably, Bethell, who has been part of the Test squad for the first two games in Leeds and Birmingham, has played three Tests, scoring 260 runs at an average of 52, with three fifty-plus scores, with his highest score being 96. Interestingly, all of his games came in New Zealand.

"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,” Dinesh Karthik told Sky Sports in an interaction with Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton

It’s important to note that Bethell represented the IPL 2025 champions franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which was mentored by Dinesh Karthik. The former Indian cricketer further asserted that Bethell can be flexible, batting anywhere from three to seven in the XI.

"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,” he added.

Bethell, who played two games for RCB in IPL 2025, scored 67 runs at an average of 33.5, with his highest score being 55.

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