Who will Lead England in the Absence of Ben Stokes in the 5th Test Against India?

England have suffered a big blow ahead of the fifth and final Test against India as captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out due to a right shoulder injury. Stokes is easily the most important player for the hosts and has performed exceedingly well with both bat and ball. His absence will hurt England's chances to level the series.

The last Test will begin on Thursday, July 31, at The Oval in London and England are currently leading the five-match series 2-1. The fourth Test in Manchester ended in a draw and India will be aiming to level the series. The visitors were struggling for most part of the fourth Test but managed to draw the match after an exceptional batting performance.

Who Will Be England New Test Captain?

Ben Stokes has been one of England’s best players in the series. The England Test captain has taken 17 wickets in four Tests, the most by any bowler so far. He also scored 304 runs, including a brilliant century in Manchester. He picked up a five-wicket haul and scored a hundred in the same match, showing his all-round ability.

Vice-captain Ollie Pope will be England new Test captain for the final Test at The Oval and will lead the team in Stokes’ absence since the shoulder injury has ended the series earlier for him.

“I have got a decent tear in my right shoulder,” Stokes said on Wednesday. “The risk was too high, so I’ll start rehab and focus on the winter series,” he added.

Pope has a brief captaincy record as he led the team in a Test series against Sri Lanka in the absence of Stokes. In Pope's captaincy, England won that series 2-0. Other than that, he has been in England's leadership group for quite some time now.

Other Changes in England Squad

Apart from Ben Stokes, three other players will miss the final Test. Spinner Liam Dawson, fast bowler Jofra Archer, and pacer Brydon Carse are all unavailable. Dawson returned to Test cricket in Manchester after eight years. He took one wicket and scored 26 runs. Archer played two Tests in the series and took nine wickets at an average of 28.66.

Carse played all four matches, taking nine wickets and scoring 164 runs, including a fifty. Overall, England have made four changes to their playing XI. Jacob Bethell, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, and Josh Tongue have been added to the side. Bethell will bat at number six and is also England’s only specialist spinner for this match. He will be playing his first Test of the series.

Atkinson, who replaced Archer, is returning to the Test side after playing earlier this year against Zimbabwe. Overton, the tall Surrey pacer, also comes back into the team. Josh Tongue, who played the first two Tests, returns as well. He was dropped for the third and fourth Tests. So far, he has taken 11 wickets in the series at an average of 33.63.

England Playing 11 for 5th Test

With Ben Stokes out, a lot will depend on experienced players like Joe Root and Chris Woakes. Bethell’s spin will also be tested in Dawson’s absence. Overall, the bowling attack is new and it remains to be seen how they perform under a new captain.
Here is England’s XI for the final Test:

• Zak Crawley
• Ben Duckett
• Ollie Pope (captain)
• Joe Root
• Harry Brook
• Jacob Bethell
• Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper)
• Chris Woakes
• Gus Atkinson
• Jamie Overton
• Josh Tongue