'I understand why they wanted to get their hundreds, but...': Ben Stokes breaks silence on verbal spat with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar in Manchester Test

England captain Ben Stokes addressed the verbal spat he had with India batters Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar during the fifth day of the Manchester Test. Despite the match being thoroughly entertaining, Stokes' on-field argument with the Indian players became one of the biggest talking points of the Test.

Ahead of the fifth and final match of the series which is set to be played at The Oval from July 31, Stokes broke his silence over the controversy and stated that he had 'no regrets' about it.

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“No regrets. When you’re not in the field for 250 overs, you gain some understanding of both sides. Jadeja and Washington played incredibly well up to that point, and I understand why they wanted to stay out there for their hundreds," Stokes said at the pre-match press-conference.

“As I said at the end of the game: fair enough. I wasn’t going to bowl my bowlers in a situation where we couldn’t win and risk injuries. India and we are both past it. Let’s not focus too much on a 20-minute period in what’s been a great series," he added.

Stokes has sustained a shoulder injury

Meanwhile, Stokes will not be featuring in the fifth Test against India due to a shoulder injury and in his place, Ollie Pope will be handed the leadership duties. Despite being quite disappointed, Stokes feels that the risk was too high. He further revealed that he will soon start rehabbing and will shift his focus on Ashes 2025 which is set to commence in November later this year.

"I'm obviously disappointed. I've got the decent tear in the right shoulder in the muscles I can't pronounce. I came down here this morning trying to find ways just to contribute to the batting. After discussions with the medical team, it was decided. The risk was way to much high. I wouldn't have expected anyone else in my place to risk this as well. I'll start rehabbing now and start to focus on what we have coming up in the winter," Stokes stated.

Stokes' absence is nothing short of a massive blow for the Three Lions who head into the final match of the series leading by 2-1. The England captain had been adjudged the Palyer of the Match in both the Lord's and Manchester Test and it will take a monumental effort to fill his void in the playing XI.

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Meanwhile, England announced their playing XI for the fifth Test on Wednesday. They made four big changes to the team from the fourth match and brought in the likes of Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue. On the other hand, the likes of Stokes, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Liam Dawson were all dropped from the XI.

England Playing XI for 5th Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue.