"Just call it off..."- Chris Woakes makes shocking revelation on ENG vs IND 5th Test

Just 48 hours after he walked out to a standing ovation with a dislocated shoulder on the fifth morning of the fifth Test against India at the Kennington Oval, Chris Woakes looked back at the day as he awaited the scans on the injury. He finished the series with 11 wickets in five games at an average of 52.18 as his absence left a huge mark on the home bowling set-up.

With the selfless act, he crossed the boundary to bat at the number 11 position, walking on the same lane as Malcolm Marshall in 1984, Colin Cowdrey in 1963, and India's Rishabh Pant at Old Trafford a few days ago. He could have suffered a potentially career-threatening injury, but the veteran had only one focus.

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“I don’t know what it is. You just know you’re part of something bigger. It’s not just you that you’re playing for out there. It’s your team and your teammates, all the hard work and the sacrifices they put in, the people watching at home, and on the ground. You just feel a duty to do it for everyone.” Woakes expressed in The Guardian in a recent interaction.

Chris Woakes devasted not to get the fairytale with series-winning victory

Woakes didn’t only walk into the middle. But he was in severe pain when Gus Atkinson pushed him for two singles on the last balls of two consecutive overs. He sustained the injury on the opening evening session while diving to stop the boundary on the wet outfield.

“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. 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.” The Birmingham-born recalled.

“The pain came on pretty quickly, and my arm was just hanging there. It was grim, and my thoughts were racing. ‘Is it game over? Is the career done?’ It was a horrible place to be. We got it into a makeshift sling with my jumper and got off the field.” Chris Woakes added, who is unlikely to get picked for the away Ashes 2025/26 trip down under.