England may have ended Day 1 of the Lord’s Test on a strong note, but there’s growing concern in the camp—especially around the fitness of captain Ben Stokes.
The all-rounder looked in visible discomfort during the final session of play. While batting alongside Joe Root, Stokes appeared to struggle with a groin injury. He received treatment on the field and was later seen hobbling between the wickets.
Stokes Battling Groin Pain as England Build Lead
By stumps, England had reached 251/4. Joe Root remained unbeaten on 99, with Stokes holding steady at 39. But Stokes’ condition became a point of worry as he did not make any public appearance after play ended.
Ollie Pope, speaking to the media post-match, confirmed that the skipper hadn’t been seen since stumps. “Fingers crossed he can do something magic and come back strong,” Pope said.
He added, “I’ve not seen him since the end of play. Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious. But we’ve got four days left in this match, and two more big Tests coming up, so we have to manage him carefully.”
Crucial Phase Ahead for England
The timing of the injury is far from ideal. After the ongoing Test, England are set to play two more matches against India—at Manchester and The Oval. Later this year, they also tour Australia for the much-anticipated Ashes series. Any long-term injury to Stokes could throw their season into disarray.
Update on Rishabh Pant’s Injury
India had injury concerns of their own. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant left the field after taking a blow to his finger while collecting a delivery down the leg side from Jasprit Bumrah.
He received on-field treatment before walking off, with Dhruv Jurel taking over behind the stumps.
After play, Nitish Kumar Reddy said he didn’t have many details. “To be honest, I just came off the field and don’t know anything about it,” Reddy said. “I haven’t heard anything, but we’ll probably know more tomorrow morning.”
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