India vs England: Is Chris Woakes set to bat on Day 5?
The opponents are showing equal resolve to put everything on the line as the final Test goes right down to the wire. If Rishabh Pant could come out to bat with a fractured foot, so can Chris Woakes with a shoulder injury. The lead pacer for the hosts in the fifth and final India vs England Test, Woakes injured his left shoulder on the opening day itself. England's lineup was already compromised coming into the Oval Test. Captain Ben Stokes was ruled out with a shoulder injury, while the likes of Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse were rested as part of their workload management. Meanwhile, Woakes, the only English bowler named in the Playing XI for all five Tests, delivered another blow to the lineup.
Chris Woakes is ready to bat in the final India vs England Test at the Oval, Joe Root confirms
Fielding in the last session on Day 1 of the final Test, Chris Woakes put his body on the line to save a boundary. The boundary was saved, but the speedster gravely injured his shoulder. Ahead of the start of the game on Day 2 at the Oval, the ECB confirmed that Woakes would not play the remainder of the match. While the English Cricket Board did not inform about the severity of Woakes' injury, the pacer had a sling wrapped around his shoulder.
In his absence, England entirely relied on the trio of Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, and Jamie Overton. Tongue picked up a five-wicket haul in the second innings to bundle out India for 396, and England arrived in the final chase of 374. Joe Root and Harry Brook scored a ton each on Day 4 of the final India vs England Test to push the guests out of the contest. However, late on the day before rain played spoilsport, India clinched a semblance of a comeback when Akash Deep dismissed Harry Brook and Prasidh Krishna got rid of Jacob Bethell and Joe Root in quick succession.
The day's play was hindered by bad light in the final session of the India vs England Test before rain also marked its appearance at the Oval. The interruption did not leave enough time to resume the game on Day 4, and stumps were called. Now, on the final day of the Oval Test, England needs 35 runs to win the match and seal the series 3-1. Meanwhile, the visitors need to clinch four quick wickets and pull off almost a miracle to draw the series 2-2 with a win in the final Test.
As anticipated earlier, the fixture would not be concluded at the fall of nine wickets, as Chris Woakes has been confirmed to come out to bat. With a sling around his shoulder, Woakes was seen gearing up to bat on Day 4 of the India vs England Test before rain hit the venue. The official confirmation arrived later when Joe Root addressed the play after stumps on the thrilling spectacle. While England will aim to score the last 35 runs with just three wickets, Woakes is ready to fight if the equation goes tricky by the end.
Chris Woakes gears up to bat despite a dislocated shoulder. 👀
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The seasoned English batter brought Rishabh Pant into the conversation to highlight the demands that the India vs England series has made from the players. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter fractured his right foot while batting in the Manchester Test. However, Pant returned to bat with his broken foot in the first innings of the Test that eventually ended in a draw. Moreover, Ben Stokes struggled with cramps almost throughout the fourth Test but managed to score a century and claim a five-wicket haul to enter the record books. Now, if the cricket score demands, Woakes is ready to follow suit and put up a fight in the Oval Test.
“You probably saw him in his whites in the dressing room. So he's all-in like the rest of us. It's been that kind of series where guys have had to put bodies on the line,” Root said. “Clearly, he's in a huge amount of pain having done what he's done. It just shows, as we've seen from other guys in this series, Rishabh Pant batting with a broken foot, guys taking all sorts of blows here and there, but it means a huge amount to him,” he added.
“Hopefully it doesn't get to that, but he had some throwdowns here at one point, and he's ready if needed,” Root informed further.
