Pant's voice note, Gill's message: When Oval Test warrior Woakes felt India's love

India Today

21 hours ago

England fast bowler Chris Woakes admitted he feared the worst when he injured his shoulder during the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against India. However, the all-rounder said it was heartening to receive support from the public and Indian players when he walked out to bat with a dislocated shoulder on a dramatic final day, which India won by six runs.advertisementWoakes said Rishabh Pant, who had batted with a fractured foot in the Manchester Test, sent him a message after he responded to one of his Instagram posts. Pant had shared a story featuring Woakes, appreciating the pacer's bravery on the final day of an exhilarating Test series.India captain Shubman Gill was seen having a word with Woakes after the match, appearing to praise his effort. Woakes walked out to bat when England needed 17 runs with just one wicket remaining. He did not face a delivery-despite having practised his one-handed stance in the lead-up to his innings-but ran with partner Gus Atkinson, battling through pain.
The 36-year-old, the only England seamer to play all five Tests in the series, dislocated his left shoulder when diving to save a boundary on Day 1 of the match. Woakes did not bat in England's first innings, but when push came to shove, the all-rounder bravely walked out on the final day.Christopher Roger Woakes pic.twitter.com/np2G5JIiJj— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 4, 2025He was seen checking his shoulder after experiencing sharp pain while rushing to the non-striker's end for a bye. The Oval crowd, which included many Indian fans, gave Woakes a standing ovation on Day 5."I saw Rishabh [Pant] had put an image of me on Instagram with a salute emoji, so I replied thanking him: 'Appreciate the love and hope the foot is OK,' etc. He then sent me a voice note saying: 'I hope all is OK, good luck with the recovery and I hope we meet again out there some day.' I obviously said sorry for the broken foot," Woakes told The Guardian."Shubman said something like: 'That was incredibly brave,'" he added."I told him: 'You've had an unbelievable series, well played, and credit to your team.' Both sets of players had been through the mill in the series and deserve credit for the show we put on. Both teams wanted the win, of course, but it does kind of feel fair that it was drawn."NEVER CONSIDERED NOT GOING OUT TO BAT: WOAKESWoakes said he never had any doubt in his mind that he would go out to bat when his team needed him in the final innings. The fast bowler revealed that Brendon McCullum had rejected his proposal to bat in the first innings when he initially brought up the idea.advertisementHowever, with the help of the team doctor and physios, Woakes managed to get himself ready to bat on the final day."I am still gutted-devastated, really-that we couldn't get the fairytale. But I never considered not going out there, even if it had been 100 runs still to win or whatever. It was nice to have the ovation, and some of the Indian players came over to show their respect. But any other player would have done the same. You couldn't just call it off at nine wickets down."Woakes said the first run he took for Atkinson was the most painful and made him wonder if his shoulder had popped out again."The first one was the worst. All I'd taken was codeine, and it was just so sore. Instinct took over- even with my arm strapped down, I tried to run as you naturally do."I genuinely worried my shoulder had popped back out again, hence you saw me throw my helmet off, rip the glove off with my teeth, and check it was OK," he said.advertisementEngland had been cruising towards the target of 374 on Day 4, reaching 301 for 3 after centuries from Harry Brook and Joe Root. However, India didn't throw in the towel and continued to fight. Prasidh Krishna dismissed Root before stumps on Day 4.England needed just 35 runs with four wickets in hand when they turned up on the final day. It was still their game to lose-but Mohammed Siraj turned the match around, taking three wickets and helping restrict England to 367, as India won the Oval Test and levelled the series 2-2.- EndsYou May Also Like