England captain Ben Stokes has ruled himself out of the series-deciding fifth Test against India at The Oval, citing a significant muscle tear in his right shoulder that he described as “too big a risk” to aggravate further. The inspirational all-rounder, who has been England’s standout performer in the series, admitted the decision was difficult but necessary.
“It’s one of those weighing up the risk-reward, and the risk was way too high for damaging this any further than it currently is,” Stokes said on the eve of the final Test. “I didn’t want to... and I wouldn’t expect to put any one of my players at risk with an injury like this.”
Stokes, who leads the wicket-taking charts in the series with 17 scalps, had been hopeful of making one last appearance in the five-match contest, even as a specialist batter. But medical scans ruled out that option, forcing the England skipper to shift focus to rehabilitation.
“I came down here this morning to give myself every chance of seeing if I could just play as a batter. Bowling was ruled out as soon as the scans came in,” he said. “You need that time chatting with the medical team, Baz, and then almost just 20 minutes to myself out there, just to really be clear around the decision that we made.”
Stokes revealed the tear was in a muscle so unfamiliar that he couldn’t pronounce its name. “It’s a decent tear of one of the muscles I can’t pronounce, because I don’t know how to say it (smiles),” he said with a chuckle, adding that the decision carried emotion given how much he’s given in the series. “There was a bit of emotion going into this kind of stuff when you find out what you’ve done.”
Despite missing the finale, Stokes remains optimistic about his recovery. “I’ll start rehabbing and focus on what we’ve got coming up. Very disappointed but almost needed a bit more time than I normally would give to these kind of things to make a decision,” he said, indicating he expects to be fully fit in 6-7 weeks — just in time for the Ashes in Australia later this year.
When asked if he regretted pushing himself too hard in the earlier Tests, Stokes was clear: “No, not at all. When I’m out on the field, I play to win and give everything I possibly can. If I feel there’s a moment in a game where I need to put everything in, I’ll do that — because it’s how much this team, playing for England, and winning means to me.”
“There’s absolutely nothing I could have done before. Being a professional sportsman, injuries are part of the game and I can’t do anything about that,” he added.
With Stokes sidelined, England will field four seamers in the playing XI, expecting favourable conditions for pace at The Oval. Jacob Bethell will come into the side at No. 6, while Joe Root and Bethell will share part-time spin duties.
“We had to think about me not being able to bowl, so if I was to play, it would have been as a batter. Here, generally, it’s your seamers who take the wickets,” said Stokes. “This one looks a lot more live grass on the wicket than the others. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a bit more assistance for the seamers this week.”
No Regrets Over Manchester Draw
Stokes also addressed the much-discussed moment at the end of the fourth Test in Manchester, when he offered to shake hands for a draw with 15 overs still remaining — only to be turned down by India’s Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who were nearing centuries.
“No regrets,” Stokes said. “But I think it’s one of those when you’ve not been there in the field for 250 overs, you do have a bit more of an understanding towards both sides. The two lads, Jadeja and Washington, played incredibly well up until that point, so you understand why they wanted to stay put there and get their hundreds.”
“But as I said at the end of the game, I’m not going to bowl any of my bowlers in a situation where we can’t win and expose any of those guys to injury. We’re over it. I think India are over that whole thing. Let’s not focus too much on a 20-minute period when it’s been such a good series,” he added.
Captaincy in a Five-Test Series Takes a Toll
The England skipper admitted that the five-Test series against India, which has gone down to the wire, has taken a heavy toll on him both physically and mentally.
“Big. Big toll,” Stokes said when asked about the demands of leading a side through such a long series. “Physically, it’s very tough, especially out in the field. But the mental side of it is just as tiring. This series has gone to the last session every time — don’t know if that’s ever happened before. It’s been a tough, gruelling series but class to play in.”
He praised both teams for their commitment and the intensity they’ve brought across all four matches so far. “It’s a real test of character, of physicality. The way both teams have fronted up every single day and session, given everything for their country is testament to how much this format means to England and India,” he said.
“The easy option would be to not turn up, give up. But both teams have turned up every single day and given absolutely everything and left everything out on the field. I don’t see it being any different this week,” he added.
Stokes Bats for Better Scheduling
Like his Indian counterpart Shubman Gill, Stokes also called for more balanced scheduling in five-Test series. He pointed out that while there were 8–9 day gaps between some matches, others had just three days between them — which didn’t allow enough recovery time.
“I guess you can look back on a five-game series and could the gaps between games be a little better... You’ve had two eight and nine-day turnarounds and two three-days,” he said. “Maybe you could look at making it all five for every game so there’s consistency.”
“It’s been tough for both teams. It’s been a lot of overs for bowlers, lots of time out on the field. That’s part of the game. But maybe you could ask, did we need to have 8/9-day breaks and then three-day gaps? Could it be four or five for each?” Stokes concluded.
