Pope prepared to be England captain in Stokes' absence

Ollie Pope has revealed he is ready to deputise for Ben Stokes if the England captain misses the first Test against India.

Stokes has struggled with a knee injury in recent months and underwent surgery before the Cricket World Cup.

England are hopeful he will be fit for the upcoming Test series in India, starting on January 25, although Pope is happy to lead the team as a contingency plan.

He said: "I think naturally when you are vice-captain there is always a risk that the captain can go down.

"Of course that is something that I can think about if it needs to happen but the feedback I have had from the physios [regarding Stokes] since the surgery has been really positive.

"Stokesy is doing good but it would be silly for me not to prepare."

Asked about the upcoming series, which begins in Hyderabad, Pope added: "Each batter has probably started thinking about their gameplan whether that is defence or attack.

"We are going to go about it in a positive way. The pitches in India can be really flat as well so you never know, it could be 600 par score in the first innings or it could be 200 par score.

"Each batter has clarity in their mind and we have been speaking with [Marcus] Trescothick since the summer about honing defence."

The five-Test tour of India will be England's first series in the longer form of the game since the Ashes, which ended in a 2-2 draw last summer.

Pope featured in the first two matches against Australia, before a dislocated shoulder ruled him out for the remainder.