ENG vs IND | Pope to lead while Bethell and Atkinson return as England make four changes for The Oval
England have made four changes to their line-up from the draw at Old Trafford, with Ben Stokes set to sit out the fifth Test at The Oval with a bicep injury. Ollie Pope is slated to lead with Jacob Bethell at six, while Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton are confirmed to make their series debuts.
England have named a significantly different line-up for the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval from the one that had to settle for a draw in the previous encounter at Old Trafford. Skipper Ben Stokes has been deemed unfit with a biceps tendon injury, paving the way for Jacob Bethell to slot into the line-up at number six. The all-rounder's ability to bowl spin means Liam Dawson has been deemed surplus to requirements, while Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse have also been ommitted after playing two and four consecutive Tests respectively.
Stokes has bowled 140 overs in the series so far, the most he has in his career, and is currently the leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps. The skipper also scored his first ton in two years in Manchester in commanding fashion, but has paid for it with a wounded tendon. However, his absence means deputy Ollie Pope will lead the side out in Tests for the fifth time in his career, three of which have ended in England wins. Notably, Pope's only loss as skipper has come at The Oval itself, at the hands of Sri Lanka in 2024.
"I am obviously disappointed. I have got a decent tear in one of the muscles I can't pronounce. We took as long as we could to make the decision around that," Stokes said of his ommission.
"I came down here this morning to give myself every chance to play just as a batter. I think you need that time chatting with the medical team, Baz (McCullum), then 20 minutes with myself to really be clear around the decision that we made. I wouldn't expect to put any of my players at risk with an injury like this so I will start rehabbing now and focus on what we have got coming up in the winter."
The void in the batting order left by Stokes will be filled by Bethell, who made his debut in New Zealand late last year as a number three batter and impressed with three half-centuries in as many matches, including a highest score of 96.
"There was a lot more hype and pressure on his shoulders when he (Bethell) got given the chance to bat at no 3 in New Zealand and he handled that pretty well. I think being the type of player that he is where he plays all three formats probably allows him to be a bit more versatile with where he bats in the order," Stokes said of Bethell.
Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, and Josh Tongue will feature in a four-pronged pace attack, with the first two having Test centuries to their name while Jamie Overton managed a score of 97 in his solitary appearance against New Zealand in 2022. Atkinson sustained a hamstring strain in the summer's curtain-raising Test against Zimbabwe and proved his fitness by bowling 30 overs for Surrey XI the previous week, having already been added to the squad for the third Test.
"We are still able to field an 11 that is going to give us a very good chance of winning this game and winning the series. That is the benefit of having a very strong squad," Stokes added.
England are currently leading the series 2-1 and would be hoping to claim the series outright, having only managed a 2-2 draw the last time India toured too in 2021/22.
England's XI vs India at The Oval: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue
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