Ollie Pope has kept his place in the England side for the first Test against India at Headingley.

It was rumoured that Pope was at risk of being dropped for youngster Jacob Bethell, but the vice-captain was retained by England.

Bethell impressed selectors with three half-centuries in as many Test matches against New Zealand last year, while he also scored 82 against West Indies in the first match of their one-day series in May.

Pope was one of three centurions in England's last Test match against Zimbabwe, which Bethell missed due to Indian Premier League commitments with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Batting at number three, Pope top-scored with 171 off just 166 balls as he hit 24 fours and two sixes in England's innings and 45-run victory.

Pope will need to prove his worth against India with an Ashes Test looming in the background. He averages just 22.1 against India and Australia, compared to his career average of 35.5.

Team news from Leeds ahead of a BIG week 

Ready to face @BCCI 

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 18, 2025

Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse return from their respective injuries to replace Sam Cook and Gus Atkinson from the Zimbabwe Test. Atkinson is recovering from a hamstring injury.

Visitors India are yet to release their starting lineup, but they did announce that Harshit Rana has joined the squad for the first Test.

The five-match series gets underway at Headingley, Leeds on June 20.

England team to face India in first Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.