India, June 24 -- Ben Stokes has admitted that one of his first responsibilities after returning as England captain was to apologise to his teammates following the nightclub controversy that forced him to miss the second Test against New Zealand.

Stokes and Gus Atkinson were made unavailable for England's second Test after breaching team curfew following the first Test at Lord's. In Stokes' absence, Joe Root returned as stand-in captain, but England suffered a heavy 253-run defeat at The Oval, allowing New Zealand to level the series 1-1.

Speaking ahead of the third and final Test at Trent Bridge, Stokes accepted that his actions had affected far more than just himself. "Of course. That was one of the first things I had to do as a capta...