Young star Jacob Bethell defends missing Zimbabwe Test for IPL as Ollie Pope steals a march in battle to be England’s number three

• Jacob Bethell stayed at the IPL instead of returning home for the Zimbabwe Test
• Ollie Pope scored 171 against Zimbabwe while Bethell was still in India 
• Two batters set to go head-to-head for number three slot for visit of India  

By DAVID COVERDALE

Jacob Bethell has no regrets about snubbing an England Test match to stay in the Indian Premier League — because he got to spend two months learning off Virat Kohli.

The 21-year-old starred at No 3 for England in their winter Test tour of New Zealand but missed last week’s match with Zimbabwe to continue his stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

In Bethell’s absence at Trent Bridge, Ollie Pope scored 171 to stake his claim to keep the No 3 spot for next month’s Test series with India.

However, Bethell believes missing the Zimbabwe match was worth it after his IPL experience, having twice opened the batting with India great Kohli.

‘Once I signed that IPL contract, I was away in India until May 26 and that meant I was missing the dates that the Test was on,’ said Bethell.

‘No discussions were had (about coming back). I was happy to stay over there and gain more experience.

Jacob Bethell top-scored for England during their win over the West Indies at Edgbaston

Bethell has been learning off the likes of Virat Kohli during his time with RCB at the IPL

Ollie Pope stakes his claim to keep the England number three spot with 171 against Zimbabwe

Jacob Bethell previously batted at number three during England’s winter tour of New Zealand 

 ‘It’s pretty electrifying to walk out to bat with Virat. He has an aura. Over the couple of months of chatting to him, you get information that keeps coming. It’s kind of just drip-fed.

‘It was cool to experience someone of his calibre and how he goes about things.

‘I only played the two games, but with the training and facilities, you’re facing quality bowlers day in, day out.

‘It was a great experience and I feel like I’m a better player now than I was a couple of months ago.’

Bethell was back playing for England in their first ODI with West Indies on Thursday, when he top-scored with 82 off 53 balls in their resounding 238-run win at Edgbaston.

The Warwickshire star’s stand-out knock further increased the scrutiny on the battle for the No 3 Test spot, which captain Ben Stokes inadvertently stoked up last week.

Before the Zimbabwe match, Stokes appeared to suggest Bethell would return to the team for the India series regardless of how other players performed, before later clarifying he merely meant the squad.

Asked if he was aware of the debate, Bethell said: ‘Not being in England, I didn’t really hear a lot of it until one of my friends messaged me and said the whole thing was going on. 

‘Whatever happens, happens.’

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Young star Jacob Bethell defends missing Zimbabwe Test for IPL as Ollie Pope steals a march in battle to be England’s number three

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