As per reports, Ben Stokes is likely to undergo knee surgery soon. It is not clear if he will be available for the India Tour that will start in January next year. If he is not available, England would have a tough time replacing him as a player and most importantly as the captain. On that note, here, we take a look at three players who could be the England Test captain if Ben Stokes misses the India Tour.
1) Ollie Pope
Ollie Pope is the designated vice-captain for the England Test Team. Hence, it is likely that he would take over the reins if Stokes is not available.
However, Ollie is not that experienced as a player and a skipper in India. He would need the help of the other seniors in the squad if he has to do a good job of replacing Stokes.
2) Joe Root
Joe Root is one of the players who could be the England Test captain if Ben Stokes misses the India Tour. Yes, the captaincy boat might have passed but Root should still be an option for England. He is the first name on the team sheet for a series that will be happening in India.
Root has captained England before in India and has had some memorable days. There are inexperienced candidates in the team and England may not risk giving them captaincy for an important series. Here is where a senior like Joe Root can be asked to take up the challenge. It would be a firm challenge for him after the poor show in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
3) Zak Crawley
Zak Crawley recently captained England in the ODI series against Ireland. Hence, he appears to be in the discussions for the future captaincy role.
Crawley would be an underrated option to lead England. While he has decent experience as a batter, his captaincy career could start with a big challenge in India. This will help him going forward.
