'Duty toward everyone...': What inspired injured Chris Woakes at Oval
What's the story
All-rounder Chris Woakes recently revealed that he "never considered" not batting for England on a dramatic Day 5 of the 5th Test against India at The Oval. Woakes dislocated his shoulder on the opening day while fielding. He was ruled out of the remaining match. However, in a stunning display of grit, he came out to bat carrying his left arm in a sling. Notably, Woakes was England's last man standing.
Unwavering resolve
Woakes dislocates shoulder on Day 1
Woakes, who was England's only pacer to play every Test against India, sustained the injury while chasing a ball to the boundary on Day 1. While he dived to stop the ball, the fall seemed to have dislocated his shoulder. Even though he was ruled out of the match, Woakes wanted to bat in the first innings. However, head coach Brendon McCullum denied him the same.
Tactical approach
Woakes bats left-handed
On the final day, with England chasing 374 to win, Woakes was seen preparing himself to bat. The hosts, who were earlier cruising on 301/3, suddenly slumped to 337/6. While England suffered a collapse, Woakes decided to bat left-handed as his usual right-handed stance was too painful. This way, his healthy right arm could control the bat while keeping his injured left arm, which was in a sling, away from the ball as much as possible.
Stance
Left-handed stance shielded the shoulder
Speaking to The Guardian, Woakes explained how he "defended one normally [right-handed] and it was agony." "We soon worked out that a left-hander's stance would shield the shoulder and at least allow me to sort of block with my top hand in control. I hit a few, missed a few, but it felt like the only way to survive," he added.
Brave effort
Woakes's heroics go in vain
When England were 17 runs away from victory, Prasidh Krishna knocked over Josh Tongue, which exposed Woakes to the middle. With a valiant effort, the latter walked out to a rousing welcome from the Oval crowd. He received a standing ovation. Notably, Woakes ran four runs during his 16-minute stay at the crease. Gus Atkinson, who kept Woakes away from the striker's end, was the last wicket to fall. England eventually lost by six runs.
Disappointment
Woakes devastated by the result
On the match's result, Woakes said, "I'm 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. But any other player would have done the same. You couldn't just call it off at nine wickets down." Woakes added that he "wouldn't have been able to live with himself" had he not tried to bat on Day 5.