Karun Nair wins praise for ‘kind act' after Chris Woakes' injury, fans salute gesture as true ‘spirit of cricket'
Nevertheless, there have still been moments of true sportsmanship and living up to the true meaning of the spirit of cricket, and one such occasion came around in the unfortunate moment where England seamer Chris Woakes hurt himself in the field. Providing a great display of positive sportsmanship for a colleague who had hurt himself in battle, Karun Nair took notice of the moment and stopped running between the wickets despite an opportunity for extra runs.
Nair, at the time batting alongside Washington Sundar, had driven Jamie Overton towards the boundary, where Woakes tumbled over and hurt himself in an attempt to save four. The batters ran three runs, but Nair noticed Woakes in pain and prone on the ground beyond the boundary, and called off his partner from coming through for a fourth despite extra runs on offer.
The Indian batter received plenty of credit online for not only noticing the situation, but also having the decency to not try and take advantage of it despite the heated and competitive nature that the series has possessed thus far.
'Surprised if he takes part in the game…'
Karun faced individual success on day one at the Oval, scoring 52* and his first Test score in excess of 50 since 2016. India finished the day on 204/6 on a green and seaming track that was also played under dark overcast skies through the day, with a couple of rain delays.
England, meanwhile, struggled to control their lines and lengths consistently through the day, and now likely find themselves a bowler short for the remainder of the Test match. It wasn't great news regarding Woakes' health from the England camp, with his pace partner Gus Atkinson informing the press: "It doesn't look great. I will be surprised if he takes any part in the game."
While Woakes' health will be of concern, the game will roll on with India trying to seal a win that would end the series level at 2-2.
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