IND vs ENG: Ben Stokes ruled out of Oval Test, Ollie Pope named captain; England make 4 big changes

IND vs ENG: England captain Ben Stokes ruled out of final Test against India.

IND vs ENG: Ahead of the final Test in the series against India, scheduled to begin this Thursday (July 31) at The Kia Oval, the England selection committee has introduced four changes. Captain Ben Stokes is sidelined due to a right shoulder injury.

Along with him, spinner Liam Dawson and fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse are also out of the squad.

Making his debut in the Test side, Jacob Bethell is set to take the No.6 spot in the batting order. Surrey’s Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton return to the lineup, while Nottinghamshire pacer Josh Tongue also features among the new inclusions.

The official website of England Cricket confirmed that vice-captain Ollie Pope will be leading the hosts in the absence of regular captain Ben Stokes.

Also Read - Jasprit Bumrah to miss Oval Test, Akash Deep likely to replace India's 'handle with care' pacer

It is a huge blow as England will not just miss his leadership but his contribution with bat and ball as well. So far in the series, Stokes has 304 runs which also includes a century in the Manchester Test. He has been England's best bowler in this series with 17 wickets to his name.

Also Read - India's record at Oval ahead of fifth and final Test against England

Dawson is also missing from the eleven which means Jacob Bethell will take on the spin duties.

Gus Atkinson steps in for Jofra Archer, having recovered from recent injury concerns. The fast bowler last featured for England in their one-off Test against Zimbabwe earlier this year. Meanwhile, Josh Tongue makes his return to the squad after appearing in the opening two Tests of the current series.

England playing 11 for 5th Test vs India:

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