Stokes out of fifth India Test with shoulder injury

England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the fifth Test against India, which starts at The Oval on Thursday, because of a shoulder injury.

Ollie Pope will lead the side in Stokes' absence while Jacob Bethell will bat at number six.

There are also three changes to the bowling line-up with quicks Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, who has played all four Tests so far, also missing out alongside spinner Liam Dawson.

Seamers Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton are included while Chris Woakes retains his place, meaning he will have played every Test of the series despite the tight four-day turnaround for this game.

All-rounder Stokes struggled across the final three days of the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford, as he bowled 24 overs in India's first innings but only 11 in their second.

He was seen struggling with his right shoulder in the warm-up on day five and was continually prodding at it during his bowling spell.

It is a significant blow to England considering his superb form that has seen him earn back-to-back player of the match awards.

He took 5-72 with the ball in India's first innings in Manchester, then followed up with 141 with the bat, becoming only the fourth England man to take a five-wicket haul and score a century in the same Test.

It leaves England's seam bowling attack looking light. Tongue took 11 wickets across the first two Tests, Woakes has taken 10 while Overton has only played one Test, which came against New Zealand in 2022.

Atkinson also makes his return from injury for his first appearance of the series, having hurt his hamstring during England's one-off Test v Zimbabwe in May. He has played just one second XI game since.

Without a specialist spinner, Bethell and Root are the part-time options.

England lead the series 2-1 after India's hard-fought efforts to draw the series at Old Trafford kept the series alive.

There was some hope that Mark Wood could be fit in time for this Test after his knee surgery but he is instead targeting the white-ball matches against South Africa at the end of the summer.

Archer's omission comes after he has played back-to-back Tests, having made his red-ball comeback after four years in the third game at Lord's, with England hoping both he and Wood will be fit for the winter's Ashes in Australia.

Stokes hinted at the need for "fresh legs" after England spent 143 overs in the field across the final two days in Manchester but his own injury leaves plenty of unknowns.

Overton has played one first-class match for Surrey since May after he suffered a finger injury playing for England in a one-day international against West Indies in the same month.

Atkinson shone during his debut international summer in 2024, but his only cricket since the Zimbabwe Test has been a club match three weeks ago and a Surrey second XI game last week where he bowled 30 overs.

Stokes' century at Old Trafford was his first in more than two years but his absence from the batting line-up will be less of a concern for England.

Bethell, 21, made a stunning start to Test cricket at the end of last year with three half-centuries in three matches against New Zealand and there have been calls for him to be included in the XI throughout the summer.

Meanwhile, India are yet to confirm their side but they will be without wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant because of a fractured foot and they are expected to omit Jasprit Bumrah, who has played the maximum three Tests they stated he would before the series.