LONDON (Reuters) -England won the toss and chose to bowl in the final test of the five-match series against India at The Oval on Thursday, with the tourists needing a victory to level a hard-fought series.

England are without captain Ben Stokes due to a shoulder injury, with Ollie Pope leading the side in the all-rounder's absence, while fast bowler Jofra Archer has also been rested.

Pope said opting to bowl on a green pitch in overcast conditions was a "no-brainer".

"We've lost a few men, the captain is down. (Chris) Woakes is tracking nicely and we've got a few fresh faces, which will be nice," Pope said.

"We wouldn't be content with a 2-2, we're going to go out and try and win."

India have rested fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who was expected to play only three tests in the series, while Dhruv Jurel comes in to keep wicket in the absence of the injured Rishabh Pant.

India have now lost 15 tosses in a row but skipper Shubman Gill said he does not mind losing the toss as long as they win the match.

"It is a bit overcast, but the wicket looks good. Post good runs in the first innings and let's see then what happens from there," Gill said.

"Our bowlers are very much ready for this contest and it looks like a good wicket for the bowlers. So, hopefully, everyone will chip in."

England lead the series 2-1 after winning the first and third tests at Headingley and Lord's, respectively, while India won the second test at Edgbaston. The fourth test at Old Trafford ended in a draw.

TEAMS

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill (Captain), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)