IND vs ENG 2025: ‘Likelihood that I won’t…,’ Ben Stokes on playing final Test against India at Oval
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IND vs ENG 2025: ‘Likelihood that I won’t…,’ Ben Stokes on playing final Test against India at Oval")
‘Likelihood that I won’t…,’ Stokes on playing final Test against India at Oval Photograph: (Others)
After English bowlers threw down 143 overs in the second innings in Manchester, Stokes told them that ‘pain is just an emotion’, hinting at freshening up England’s attack for the final Test.
England captain Ben Stokes had two big games leading up to the series decider against India at the Oval in London. While his heroics with both bat and ball helped England win the Lord’s Test, with him winning the ‘Player of the Match’ award, Stokes’ improved show at Old Trafford was not enough to see his team home. The star all-rounder first picked up five wickets in the first innings and followed it up with a gritty 141 in England’s reply to India’s 358. In the second innings, he bowled 11 overs, including eight on the trot on the final day, ending up with a sore biceps tendon. He, however, committed to playing in the final Test starting in three days on Thursday (Jul 31).
After English bowlers threw down 143 overs in the second innings, Stokes told them that ‘pain is just an emotion’, hinting at freshening up England’s attack for the final Test. He, however, informed feeling 'better' after both teams shook hands on the brink of stumps on day five in Manchester.
"It's been a pretty big workload so far in the series," Stokes said after the Manchester Test ended in a draw.
"I had a big week last week at Lord's, with time spent out in the middle with bat in hand and obviously overs bowled, and then same again this week. I said it a few times to the guys out there: 'Pain is just an emotion.' It's just one of those things.
"It is actually my bicep tendon. It obviously had quite a lot of workload through it, just been creeping around. But yeah, [I spent] a lot of time out in the middle doing my job as an all-rounder this week and [it] just got a little bit flared up… It didn't get any worse throughout the day, just stayed the same, so that's why I kept on going,” he continued.
‘I don’t want to eat my words but…’
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Stokes knows what part of his body hurts the most after he gave it all in the four contested matches, and considering his presence could help the hosts win the final game, he would likely push it through the next Test. He, however, will have ample time to rest and heal before England plays the next Test in Perth during the away Ashes (in November).
"Hopefully, it settles down and we'll be good as gold for the last game… I don't want to eat my words, but the likelihood that I won't play is very unlikely,” he added.
