Ben Stokes gives injury update after being ruled out of 5th ENG vs IND 2025 Test

England captain Ben Stokes has provided an update on his right shoulder injury, which ruled him out of the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval. Expressing his disappointment, the all-rounder revealed he had a muscle tear and even explored the chance to play purely as a batter, but to no avail.

The star cricketer took up heavy bowling workloads over the four Tests, sending down 140 overs in the series. Although England enjoyed the fruits of his efforts, the veteran struggled with his shoulder while bowling on Day 5 of the fourth Test, which turned out to be a muscle tear.

Speaking to the press on Wednesday, July 30, Stokes said, as quoted by Sky Sports:

"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. Obviously, there is a bit of emotion that goes into this stuff when you find out what you have done. I came down here this morning to give myself every chance to play just as a batter."

The England all-rounder suggested that he could've played the Oval Test but conceded that the risk was too high and will instead start his rehab. He explained:

"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. It is one of those of weighing up the risk and reward and the risk was way too high for the damage. 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 34-year-old is currently the leading wicket-taker of the series with 17 in four matches at 25.23. He played a pivotal role in bowling India out at Lord's and claimed his first fifer since 2017 in Manchester.

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"Once the series was done, I was feet up anyway" - Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes. (Image Credits: Getty)

Stokes further touched upon his workload after the five-Test series, saying he was anyway going to rest until the winter after the Oval Test. He also praised the depth of the English squad, saying he was pleased with the players at their disposal. Backing the playing XI to do well, he added:

"Once the series was done, I was feet up anyway, so it doesn't make too much difference from what I had at the end of the series until the winter anyway. 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. We have some good cricketers to choose from when we find ourselves in a situation like this. So, let's put full concentration on the 11 we have got out there this week."

With Jacob Bethell likely to bat at No. 6 after starting his Test career at No. 3, Stokes reckoned the youngster's versatility was his strength. He said:

"We are very confident we have got the ability to win this game and the series. 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."

Bethell will also be playing his first Test since December 2024, when he featured in all three games of a Test series against New Zealand.