Nottingham [UK], May 23 (ANI): 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 Sikandar Raza in front of the stumps, Crawley returned with 124(171), and then Pope took centre stage with his masterclass.

He struck handsomely above a 100 strike rate, defined the true meaning of 'Bazball' and stayed unbeaten with 169 from 163 deliveries when umpires decided to call the end of the opening day's action.

'Watching those two [Duckett and Crawley] score runs, you don't want to be the one to miss out, so it was nice to get in the flow of things early,' Pope told Sky Sports.

After sending a strong message in response to his critics before the squad announcement for the India series, Pope assured that he knows where he stands in the 'hierarchy' and ignores the media and the speculations to ensure his 'mental game' remains unfazed.

'We have had some good conversations, and I know where I stand within the hierarchy, which is always good. Communication is really good. I have learnt along the way not to read too much in the media, especially in the lead-up to a series. It doesn't help me. I try to score as many runs as I can and not let that side impact my mental game,' he added.

Pope, who averaged 38.80 and struck 194 runs in three Tests in New Zealand, found his lost mojo and shone in the purple patch. He fired 171 from 166 deliveries before giving away an edge from his lacklustre drive, which flew straight into the wicketkeeper's gloves.

As he returned towards the dressing room with a standing ovation from the crowd, Pope became the first batter to score all his eight centuries in Test cricket against eight different oppositions. (ANI)