England coach Peter Moores feels for injury-jinxed Andrew Flintoff but remains hopeful the national side's prize asset can face India tomorrow.

Flintoff, 29, missed Sunday's rain-affected defeat to India at Headingley, which clawed England's NatWest Series advantage back to 3-2, with more discomfort in his left ankle.

Having already missed last week's victory at Edgbaston with an unrelated knee niggle, Flintoff jarred his ankle, which has been operated on three times in the past couple of years, in a foot hole at Old Trafford last Thursday.

He will be reassessed at practice today at The Oval - fellow all-rounder Ravi Bopara (dislocated thumb) and fast bowler Chris Tremlett (foot) are also under current observation.

Having missed the entire home international summer prior to this seven-match campaign against the Indians, Flintoff will be understandably down about his current plight.

''Yes, I feel for him,'' said Moores.

''He has been great since he has been back. He has had a real buzz about him, a real energy and people have seen that when he has been on the field.

''You could see he had his passion back which is what he is like when he plays his best cricket. He has been a real boost for the squad and has been involved in deciding how we should play in one-day cricket, which has been really helpful for myself, Paul Collingwood and the team.

''He has been sat on his back side for a long time and he desperately wants to play.

''The people I have spoken to so far are still pretty optimistic and he may be okay on Wednesday, then he can get on and play the sort of cricket he loves to do.

''All we can do is go through the right processes and keep our fingers crossed that the ankle will settle down. It isn't too major, he can get himself away and it becomes a manageable problem.''

Flintoff roared back onto the international stage by clocking deliveries in excess of 90 miles per hour in his comeback at the Rose Bowl and then claimed a maiden five-wicket haul in one-day internationals in his second.

Tailoring his workload in limited-overs series is more immediate, and more manageable, but England's biggest problem will come in Test cricket, when he is expected to bowl up to 20 overs in a day.

That bridge will need to be crossed within a month when England name their Test party for Sri Lanka.

For now, however, decisions are pending on whether Flintoff and Bopara can travel to South Africa on Sunday for the World Twenty20.

So will England be prepared to gamble on players who are not 100 per cent fit?

''It depends what the injury is,'' said Moores.

''You can't take anybody that is too injured because the tournament is so short.

''It starts on the 12th and finishes on the 25th and there is a quick turnaround in games.

''It depends where the player is at. If we are sure that it is a bit of a niggle and it will recover in a couple of days and we are confident then we will take them.

"But if it is a longer-term thing then they might have to be replaced."

Uncapped Sussex all-rounder Luke Wright has been drafted into England's NatWest Series squad for the final two matches against India.