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Ahead of the fifth Test against England at The Oval, Indian skipper Shubman Gill believes it is a big miss for the hosts as Stokes will miss the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy due to a right shoulder injury.

Stokes has been the top performer for England's campaign in the series, delivering with both bat and ball in high-pressure moments. In four matches, he has amassed 304 runs at an impressive average of 43.42, including a century.

With the ball, he has been England's most effective bowler, claiming 17 wickets, more than any other player in the series so far. He was also named Player of the Match in both the third and fourth Tests.

"A big miss for England. Whenever he comes on to bowl or bat, he always makes things interesting. He always makes something happen. So, from their perspective, I think it is definitely a loss for them. But having said that, the players who come in to play for the country, they are as competitive and they bring as much as to the table as any of the players," Shubman Gill told the Media.

Gill praised Indian batter Sai Sudharsan for his fifty in the previous fixture and felt he didn't had a bad game. Sai, making a comeback into the playing XI for the fourth Test, after being dropped from the XI, made a vital fifty in the first innings but was dismissed by Chris Woakes for a golden duck in the second innings.

"He scored a half century in the last test match, so I don't think he had a bad game. He had a good game, he got out on the first but in the second innings, that can happen to any player. But I think someone was telling me he scored a half century outside of India after two or three years. So that is a big plus for us," Gill said.

Gill also applauded all-rounder Washington Sundar for his bowling in the ongoing Test series and felt his batting has been a really big plus for India, and they are fortunate to have players like Sundar.

"If you look at Washington, he is someone who gives us so much control with the bowling. And his batting has been a really big plus for us we are fortunate to have players like that in our team, who can prevent a collapse whenever it happens. In the lower middle order, we have seen that was one of the areas where we thought we needed some work, our lower middle order. And with him coming in, I think we have improved that area," he added.

In three Tests of this series so far, Sundar has scored 205 runs in six innings, averaging 51.25, with a century to his name. He has also taken seven wickets in five innings at an average of 35.85, with best figures of 4/22 at Lord's.

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Sundar, with the bat, has been a valuable asset for India, scoring 673 runs in 12 matches and 22 innings at an average of 44.86, with a century and four fifties to his name. With 32 wickets at an average of 27.87 and best figures of 7/59, including a five-for and a ten-for.