NEW DELHI: England pacer Chris Woakes has opened up about the dramatic final day of the fifth Test against India at The Oval, where he walked out to bat despite a serious shoulder injury. In a candid chat with The Guardian, Woakes shared the pain and emotion behind that courageous moment, and revealed how India captain Shubman Gill praised him for his bravery.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Woakes had injured his shoulder while fielding on Day 1 and did not take part in the match afterward, until England were nine wickets down, needing 17 more runs to pull off a historic chase. To the crowd’s roaring applause, Woakes emerged from the pavilion with his arm strapped, determined to support Gus Atkinson.
“The first one was the worst. All I had taken was codeine and it was just so sore. Instinct took over here – 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,” Woakes recalled.
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Ultimately, Atkinson was bowled and Woakes never faced a ball. But the crowd stood up, and so did the Indian team in appreciation. After the match, Gill walked over to Woakes.“Shubman said something like: ‘That was incredibly brave.’ 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,” Woakes added.Woakes said he felt devastated not to get the fairytale finish.“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. 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,” he said.
