One factor has been the weight of expectation on Stokes ever since he scored his unbeaten 135 to defeat Australia at Headingley two years ago. It is widely considered to have been the best Test innings for England, for his command of defence than attack, yet brought with it the pressure for him to do something similar again.
A second factor has been Stokes's temperament which drives him to live his life at full stretch. It was typical that he should have broken off his gradual recovery from his left finger injury while playing for Durham to take on the England captaincy for the ODI series against Pakistan when Covid struck the first-choice squad this month; and typical too, of Stokes's charismatic effect on his teammates, that the second-string team should have won 3-0.
But the most important factor of all lying behind Stokes's current mental issues stems from the death of his father Ged in New Zealand in December 2020. At the time Stokes was in India, playing for Rajasthan Royals, at his father's behest; and owing to Covid regulations Stokes was unable to attend the funeral in Christchurch and, like so many others in a similar situation, unable to mourn. Ged was a prime influence on Stokes's life, as he had been a professional sportsman too.
It could be seen as part of a growing trend governing elite athletes, exacerbated by the restrictions imposed by covid, that Stokes has felt forced to step down. The world champion gymnast Simone Biles has been withdrawing from Olympic events, while tennis' Naomi Osaka did not play at the French Open or Wimbledon due to mental health issues.
Managing Director of England Men's Cricket, Ashley Giles, said: "Ben has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and wellbeing.
"Our primary focus has always been and will continue to be the mental health and welfare of all of our people. The demands on our athletes to prepare and play elite sport are relentless in a typical environment, but the ongoing pandemic has acutely compounded this.
"Spending significant amounts of time away from family, with minimal freedoms, is extremely challenging. The cumulative effect of operating almost continuously in these environments over the last 16 months has had a major impact on everyone's wellbeing.
"Ben will be given as long as he needs, and we look forward to seeing him playing cricket for England in the future."
Stokes has been replaced in the England squad against India by Craig Overton of Somerset, but nobody in England could fill the same role of all-rounder, defined as someone who could take five wickets in a Test innings or hit a hundred. Stokes has been replaced, but he is irreplaceable.
