Harry Brook Preferred Over Ollie Pope To Succeed Ben Stokes In Test Cricket: 'He Looks A Born Leader'

Ben Stokes has been a game-changer for England in Test cricket. The English captain has brought in his enigma, which has been pretty evident since he took over the charge.

The 34-year-old has been a constant threat with both bat and ball against India but was ruled out of the last Test match due to a shoulder injury. Ollie Pope stepped in and has led England in his absence. Stokes' chronic knee issues have hurt his Test ambitions, and of late, he has had two hamstring injuries which have halted his progress.

Ben Stokes Replacement Named, Ollie Pope Ignored

Despite his injuries, the 34-year-old, alongside head coach Brendon McCullum, has transformed the Test side and “Bazball”. Stokes defied his workload management and bowled full-fledged in the last four matches, and with him entering the business end of his Test career, his potential replacement should be in the conversation.

Michael Vaughan feels Harry Brook could be a good candidate for the England Test captaincy. On Test Match Special podcast the Ashes-winning England captain said, "Harry Brook, to me, looks a leader. He looks a born leader.

"If Ben Stokes is injured in the future can't Pope stay as vice-captain and Harry Brook gets the leadership role?"

Also Read: Abhishek Nayar Commends KL Rahul’s Iron Will And Readiness For England Tests: 'He's Done All Dirty Jobs, Still Managed To Perform'

England Need 374 Runs To Win 5th Test

The 5th Test has entered its climax and the onus will be on the Indian bowlers to get the remaining six wickets, as Chris Woakes has already been ruled out of the remaining period of the Test match. Mohammed SIraj got the better of Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett while Prasidh Krishna dismissed Zak Crawley to set up a brilliant finale.

Earlier, both Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar smashed half-centuries as India finished the second innings at 396. Yashasvi Jaiswal also brought up his second century of the series as England need 374 runs to make it 3-1 in the five-match Test series.

Also Read: Nasser Hussain Stresses Mental Toughness As Key For England To Succeed In Ashes Against Australia