Ollie Pope blocks out the noise in Test quest to impress

"I'm in the media talking about the media," said Ollie Pope, rolling his eyes as he broke the fourth wall on the outfield at Trent Bridge, not long after England's victory over Zimbabwe.

The first Test of the summer had a bit of the ouroboros about it, and not because Shoaib Bashir made light work of the tourist's tail on Saturday to confirm a simple innings victory inside three days.

Ben Stokes' pre-match quotes when asked about the reintroduction of Jacob Bethell after his IPL stint seemed to suggest Pope - and, by association, Zak Crawley - might be at risk when it came to turning 12 into an XI. Stokes bristled at the subsequent coverage, believing he had made it clear he meant Bethell's return to the squad was a no-brainer, and went a step further in his post-match briefings, suggesting the misunderstanding was wilful as part of an agenda against Pope.

In between, Stokes also spoke to Pope about those circulating comments, though the man himself did the best job of quelling any awkwardness by strumming a breezy 171 to all but cement his usual spot at No. 3 for next month's India series, having selflessly vacated the position in New Zealand to take the wicketkeeping gloves, allowing Bethell to state such a compelling case.

"Whenever I do media now I get asked if I'm reading what's in the media," Pope said. "So I try not to read what's in the media and focus on scoring my runs.

"[I'm] just trying to ignore it and try to become a better player. Whenever I've stood still, that's when I've not become a better player. It's trying to block it out, trying not to let it affect me in the Test match week. Every time I go into a series, trying to make sure I'm a better player than I was before, and hopefully cash in when it counts.

"It's all noise to us, we have a tight-knit unit, we will keep chatting amongst ourselves."

He even grasped the nettle on Bethell's return, with something of a smile: "It'll be good to have him back in the squad and the selectors can make their decision, and I will try to score my runs."

That bolshiness is nothing new, particularly given how much of Pope's career recently has been underpinned by external uncertainty as to what his best role may be, and even whether he is in England's strongest team outright.

Right now, the answer to both those questions seems to be No. 3 - where he averages 43.06 - and an unequivocal yes from Stokes. "He's my vice-captain, and he's been incredible for me at number three and the team," Stokes said.

Nevertheless, Pope acknowledges the variety of roles undertaken means much of his work behind the scenes has been geared towards being more adaptable. In the last year alone, he has batted at first drop, at No. 6 with the gloves and even captained four Tests.

"I've been trying to work on my all-round game and everything that will make me successful in Test cricket," Pope said, accepting his future may well be as a high-calibre utility pick. "I've done a lot of different roles. I've kept, I've captained, batted six, batted three. It's focusing on my main job at No. 3 and making sure my game is in as good an order as it can be."

That immediate focus will come to the fore against India at Headingley on June 20, the first of 10 huge, legacy-defining Tests, finishing off with the Ashes in Australia. Barring a stunning 196 in Hyderabad at the start of 2024, Pope has a poor record against both of England's biggest rivals. His average against India, against whom he debuted in 2018, is a lowly 24.60, but almost 10 runs higher than his 15.70 against Australia. He accepts the next engagements are as much a defining period for himself as the team.

"Yeah absolutely," he said, when asked if he had something to prove over the next two series. "But I also feel I am a much better player now than I was [four years ago] when we last played India at home and Australia away.

"I completely own that my numbers aren't good enough against those guys, and I accept that. But I think I am a better player to deal with the competition ahead this summer. Hopefully over the next year I can prove that. I did that a little bit in India last year, but look forward to doing it this summer and winter."