Pope retains No.3 spot; Carse set for home 'debut'

England have confirmed their playing XI for the opening Test against India at Headingley. Ollie Pope, who was jostling for the No.3 position alongside the impressive Jacob Bethell, has managed to retain his spot. Brydon Carse, meanwhile, is all set for his home 'debut'.

Pope went through a dull run last year despite his epic 196 at the start of 2024 in Hyderabad to help England win a memorable Test match. During the New Zealand tour late last year, Pope was moved down to No.6 due to the unavailability of a few players with Bethell getting a debut at No.3.

The youngster managed to make a mark immediately as he hit three fifties in the three Tests, narrowly missing out on a ton. But with Bethell unavailable to play against Zimbabwe last month due to his IPL commitments, Pope solidified his case by stroking 171 on his return to the No.3 spot. The management has now kept faith in the vice-captain.

Carse, who made his debut in Pakistan at the end of 2024, has played five Tests so far in his career, with all five coming away from home. Having picked 27 wickets in those five games, Carse will now get to play for the first time at home having recently recovered from a toe surgery to play the limited-overs matches against West Indies. Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir have held onto their spots in the XI for the Test match that will begin on June 20.

England XI for 1st Test - Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir