India vs England | Ollie Pope to make England debut at Lord’s

Youngsters seem to be in demand in England at the moment, especially after Sam Curran enjoyed a successful outing during England’s historic 1000th Test match at Edgbaston last week. The latest in line to make their debut for the three lions is 20-year old batsman Ollie Pope, who currently plays for Surrey County Cricket Club.

The right-handed batsman, who sometimes played as a wicket-keeper, will serve as a direct replacement for Middlesex left-hander Dawid Malan, who has been dropped from contention after below-par performances this summer. England Test team captain, Joe Root, also revealed at his pre-match press conference that Pope will come in and bat at four.

However, Essex pacer Jamie Porter will not be handed his debut in the second Test. Root still had to reveal whether Moeen Ali or Chris Woakes will replace all-rounder Ben Stokes, who is set to miss out as a result of his ongoing court case on charges of affray at the Bristol Crown Court.

England 12-man squad: Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (w), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes.