With England seemingly reliant on Ben Stokes with bat and ball, the struggling skipper insisted “pain is just an emotion” as he plans to take to the sphere for his facet’s fifth and deciding take a look at in opposition to India this week.
The England captain struggled with cramp in his left leg and was feeling his shoulder because the hosts failed to bowl India out of their second innings at Old Trafford on Sunday and had to accept a fourth take a look at draw.
Stokes took his first five-wicket haul for eight years in India’s first innings, a powerful feat given his latest damage points.
“It’s just a workload sort of thing,” Stokes advised reporters after the draw with India left England main 2-1 within the five-match sequence.
“We got a fair amount of overs and everything starts creeping up on you. I’ll keep trying, keep going and as I say to all the bowlers: pain is just an emotion.”
“I’ll always try to run through a brick wall for the team.”
Stokes revealed he had damage his bicep tendon, with his damage niggles the results of a taxing workload that has seen him already ship down 140 overs in 4 checks — essentially the most he has ever bowled in a sequence.
However, Stokes, the main wicket-taker of the sequence, is optimistic of taking to the sphere on the Oval on Thursday (July 31, 2025) as England attempt to seal a 3-1 sequence triumph.
“Hopefully I will be alright going for the last one,” he stated. “I am doing everything possible to be alright. It’s been a big five or six weeks, I’ll always try to give everything I possibly can.”
“I don’t want to eat my words, but the likelihood I won’t play is very unlikely.”
India confirmed nice character to battle to an sudden draw, given they’re a younger workforce. Shubman Gill, 25, is taking part in his first take a look at sequence as captain following the retirements of Indian greats Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Coach Gautam Gambhir reserved particular reward for his skipper, who turned solely the third captain to rating 4 lots of in a single take a look at sequence to assist his facet salvage a draw.
“These are characters who are sat in the dressing room wanting to fight for their country,” Gambhir advised reporters.
“I don’t believe in something like transition. It is still an Indian team. It is only experience and inexperience. Being under pressure, batting five sessions against an attack like England, will do so much for them.”
“An important thing is he (Gill) is living up to his expectations and his talent. When he goes into bat, he goes in as a batsman, not a captain.”
