- England captain Ben Stokes is confident he will play the fifth Test against India at The Oval despite a bicep injury, stating, “Pain is just an emotion”.
- Stokes did not bowl on Saturday and struggled with the bicep problem on the final day of the previous Test, where he took a wicket but India secured a draw.
- He acknowledged being “mentally decent, physically been better” due to the high workload on his bicep throughout the series.
- Stokes indicated that England’s bowling unit might see changes for the final Test due to player fatigue, with Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue being potential inclusions.
- India will be without Rishabh Pant for the final Test due to a broken foot, but Stokes dismissed the idea of injury replacements in international cricket as “ridiculous”.
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