England Captain Ben Stokes Sidelined for India Test Finale Due to Shoulder Injury; Pope to Captain

Ben Stokes Sidelines Himself From Final Test Match Against India

Ben Stokes, England's captain and key all-rounder, will miss the decisive final Test against India due to a shoulder injury. The influential player earned the Player of the Match award in both the third and fourth Tests of the series, showcasing his prowess in all aspects of the game. Taking his place, Ollie Pope will captain the team as they face India at The Oval in London, beginning on Thursday, July 31.

Stokes bowled a total of 35 overs in the drawn Test in Manchester © Getty

Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, and Liam Dawson will also be absent from the eleven that drew with India in Manchester. Jacob Bethell has been added to the squad and is slated to play at No. 6, while Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, and Josh Tongue complete the additions.

Here is the confirmed England XI:

England's XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue

Stokes experienced an extended bowling period in the fourth Test, during which India batted for 143 overs across five sessions in their final innings, ultimately resulting in a draw. Throughout the match, Stokes delivered a total of 35 overs, visibly displaying discomfort in his right shoulder.

During the pre-match press conference for the fifth Test, Stokes disclosed the severity of his injury and the complexities involved in making the decision to sit out.

"I've got a decent tear in one of the muscles that I can't pronounce because I don't know how to say it. It took as long as we could to make that decision around that. Obviously, a bit of emotion going into this kind of stuff when you find out what you've done. I came down here this morning to give myself every chance. Obviously, just to play as a batter, bowling was ruled out as soon as we got the scan results."

He continued, "But, yeah, I think you need that time chatting with the medical team, Baz [Brendon McCullum], and then almost just 20 minutes to myself out there in the middle of the morning just to really be clear around the decision that we made. Yeah, it's one of those where you're weighing up the risk reward. The risk was way too high for damaging this any further than it currently is. I wouldn't expect to put anyone else, any of my other players at risk with an injury like this."

Despite his fiercely competitive spirit, Stokes recognized the importance of prioritizing long-term health over immediate gains. "When I'm out on the field, I play to win. I give absolutely everything that I possibly can. I feel like there's a moment in a game where I need to put everything that I'm feeling aside and I'll do that. Because it's how much this team means to me, it's how much playing for England means to me, it's how much winning means to me. But there's absolutely nothing that I could have done before. Being a professional sportsman, injuries is part of this game and I can't do anything about that."

Stokes anticipates a recovery period of "six to seven weeks" and will now concentrate on rehabilitation to prepare for the Ashes series commencing in November. This also means he will be unavailable for the upcoming The Hundred tournament, scheduled from August 5 to 31.

"I've got to start rehabbing now and obviously focus on what we've got coming up in the winter. I'm obviously very disappointed but I just needed a bit more time than I normally would give to these kinds of things to make a decision. It helps that we've got a really good strong squad to be able to select from to put a team out there that we think can get us a win this week."

The hosts currently hold a 2-1 lead in the series, having secured victories in the Headingley Test and at Lord's, while their defeat occurred at Edgbaston.