England skipper Joe Root ahead of the third Test of the 5-match series against India in Nottingham announced that their flamboyant all-rounder Ben Stokes has been named in the England squad as he will be replacing Sam Curran in the team. Earlier this week, Stokes was recalled to the squad just hours after being cleared of affray.

Talking about the decision, Root said: “It was probably one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make as captain after Curran’s impressive performances in the victories at Edgbaston and Lord’s.”

On Tuesday, Stokes was found not guilty of affray after a week-long case at Bristol Crown Court, relating to a late-night brawl in the city following last September’s ODI against the West Indies. England head coach Trevor Bayliss has asked Stokes to issue a public apology over the events which led to his trial, having apologized to his team-mates in New Zealand last winter when he rejoined them after having to miss the Ashes while a criminal charge was being considered.

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Talking about the inclusion of Stokes in the squad further during the pre-match press conference, Root said, “I sat him down yesterday and asked him where he’s at and he told me he’s desperate to get out there. He wants to put in performances and concentrate on his cricket now. He felt he was ready to play. We assessed his fitness as well and made that call.”

Speaking about the decision to leave out Curran, Root added: “I think the difficult part is the fact that everyone is performing so well. I think some people would see that as the easy option to leave Sam out but he’s offered so much to this bowling group and at the start of the series I said to the team for us to win a five-match series against the best side in the world it’s going to take more than just 11 players.”

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He further added, “On this occasion, he’s unfortunate to miss out but what he’s done so far has been nothing short of high class, so that’s a testament to how well we’ve been playing and is a really good sign for this group moving forward.”

England’s playing XI for the Nottingham Test:

Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root (c), Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, James Anderson