"I came down here this morning to give myself every chance to play just as a batter."
On the eve of the fifth and final Test of the five-match series against India, England skipper Ben Stokes revealed that he was diagnosed with a torn muscle, which resulted in his exclusion from England's playing XI.
In Stokes' absence, Ollie Pope will lead the side. England have also brought in Jacob Bethell, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, and Jamie Overton for the game, while pacer Brydon Carse and left-arm spinner Liam Dawson have been left out for the game starting at The Oval on Thursday
Bethell is expected to take the number six slot where Stokes usually bats.
Stokes said he gave himself every chance to play just as a batter in the final Test.
"I am obviously disappointed, I've 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," he told the media as quoted from Sky Sports.
Stokes said it was a collective decision taken after consulting with the medical team and then having a discussion with the coach, Brendon McCullum.
"I think you need that time chatting with the medical team, Baz (McCullum), then 20 minutes with me to really be clear around the decision that we made. It is one of those 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. 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," he added.
In the ongoing series which England lead 2-1, Stokes has tallied 304 runs in seven innings at an average of 43.42.
Besides, he is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 17 scalps at an average of 25.23, with best figures of 5-72.
Stokes was the player of the match in the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford after smashing a century and taking six wickets.
England's Playing XI for fifth Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (Captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (Wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue.