England make four changes for final India Test

England captain Ben Stokes will miss the fifth Test against India (Picture: Getty)

England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test against India with a shoulder injury.

Stokes was visibly struggling with the issue during the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford and has not recovered in time for the series decider.

Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Liam Dawson have also been left out of England’s team for the fifth Test, which starts on Thursday at The Oval.

Jacob Bethell will come into the side in replace of Stokes and bat at No. 6, while Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton and Josh Tongue will also play.

In the absence of the injured Stokes, England vice-captain Ollie Pope will take charge of the side.

England lead 2-1 going into the final Test, having been denied a series-sealing victory in Manchester by a day-and-a-half of determined India batting.

The hosts piled on 669 in reply to India’s 358 and then reduced the tourists to 0-2 in the first over just before lunch on day four.

But India lost just two more wickets over the course of the next 142 overs, finishing on 425-4 with captain Shubman Gill and all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar also scoring centuries.

England chased 371 in the first Test of the series to go ahead before India responded with an emphatic 336-run win at Edgbaston to level.

Jacob Bethell replaces Stokes and will be at No. 6 (Picture: Getty)

Stokes’ side won a thriller at Lord’s by 22 runs to take the lead for a second time but were unable to clinch the series on a flat pitch at Old Trafford.

India are yet to name their team for the series finale but are not expected to pick Jasprit Bumrah.

The superstar fast bowler has already played three Tests in the series, the maximum workload the team management had targeted after his recent injury lay-off.

Gus Atkinson will make his first appearance of the series (Picture: Getty)

India will definitely be without wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who fractured his foot while batting in India’s first innings in the fourth Test.

Stokes has enjoyed a superb series against India but will not be involved in the final Test after struggling with a shoulder problem at Old Trafford.

Chris Woakes will play his fifth match in a row and lead England’s attack, which also includes Atkinson, who will feature in the series for the first time following his injury struggles.

The Surrey quick enjoyed a stunning start to his Test career, taking 55 wickets in 12 matches and scoring a hundred from No. 8 against Sri Lanka.

Tongue has shown promise in his previous five Tests, taking 23 wickets and dismissing Australia legend Steve Smith during the last Ashes series.

The Oval clash against India will be 31-year-old Overton’s second Test after he made his red-ball debut for England against New Zealand in 2022.

Dawson’s omission after his first Test in eight years leaves part-timers Joe Root and Bethell as England’s only spin options.

Bethell’s main task of course will be with the bat – he scored three half-centuries in the tour of New Zealand over the winter before narrowly missing out on a place in the team for the first Test against India.

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