London [UK], July 4 (ANI): Following a gripping day of Test cricket interrupted by bad light and rain at The Oval, England batter Joe Root said that all-rounder Chris Woakes is available to bat despite his shoulder injury and is “all-in”.
Woakes injured his shoulder while fielding during the first day of the Test. While later England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) issued a statement about him not taking any further part in the Test match. But he practiced batting one-handed in an indoor school on Sunday and changed to his whites during the evening session, preparing himself to bat at number 11 if needed. England needs 35 runs, while India needs three or four wickets to draw the series, depending on Woakes’ batting or not.
Speaking ahead of the series’ final day during the post-day presser, Root said, “He’s all-in, like the rest of us. It has been that kind of series, where guys have had to put bodies on the line. Hopefully, it does not get to that. But he had some throwdowns in here [the indoor school] at one point, and he is ready if needed… He is desperate to do what it takes.”
England have not confirmed the specifics of Woakes injury and he could go for further scans after the match for a full-fledged diagnosis. He is considered unlikely to play for the rest of the Test summer and looks in doubt for the Ashes first Test at Perth from November 21, and potentially the rest of that series, given his poor record in Australia.
Speaking further on Woakes’ commitment to bat, he said, “Clearly, he is in a huge amount of pain having done what he has done. It just shows, as we have seen from other guys in this series – Rishabh Pant batting with a broken foot, guys taking all sorts of blows here and there – but it means a huge amount to him.”
“It just shows the character and the person that he is willing to put his body on the line like that for England, and hopefully – well, hopefully he does not have to, but if it does come to that – get us across the line and win us an incredible series,” he added.
Speaking on the Test getting its finish delayed to the final day, Root said that it has “pros and cons” for both teams.
“The guys (Indians) had bowled a lot, there were overs in their legs. You get back out there and you get a couple of boundaries away, and all of a sudden the game looks very different again. But then again, you come back tomorrow, you get another roller, you can rest up, and it is a completely new opportunity. I think for both teams there are pros and cons, it is just how it has fallen,” he said.
“But there is not really much you can do as a player, really. You just sit and wait and do what you’re told. From our point of view, come back tomorrow and we have an amazing spectacle to look forward to.”
“It was always going to happen like this, was not it? Look at the first four games, it has just been that kind of series. It has been amazing to play in, and it is quite fitting that we’re going to get that kind of finish tomorrow,” he concluded, commenting on how every Test has gone to the final day.
Coming to the Test match, England ended the first session of day four at 164/3, needing 210 runs to win, with Harry Brook (38*) and Joe Root (23*) unbeaten. After England opted to bat first, they reduced India to 153/6. A 58-run partnership between Karun Nair (57 in 109 balls, with eight fours) and Washington Sundar (26 in 55 balls, with three fours) was the most meaningful part of the inning as India was bundled out for 224 runs. Apart from Gus Atkinson’s five-wicket haul, Josh Tongue (3/57) was also good.
In the second innings, four-fers from Siraj (4/83) and Prasidh Krishna (4/62) reduced England to 247, despite a 92-run opening stand between Zak Crawley (64 in 57 balls, with 14 fours) and Ben Duckett (43 in 38 balls, with five fours and two sixes). They led by 23 runs.
In India’s second innings, key contributions came from Yashasvi Jaiswal (118 in 164 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes), Akash Deep (66 in 94 balls, with 12 fours), Ravindra Jadeja (53 in 77 balls, with five fours) and Washington Sundar (53 in 46 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes). They all took India to 396 runs, giving them a 373-run lead and setting a target of 374 runs for England to win the series.
At the end of day four’s play, England was 339/6, with Jamie Overton (0*) and Jamie Smith (2*) unbeaten. England still need 35 runs to win, with uncertainty over Chris Woakes coming to bat or not after a shoulder injury. Wickets from Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna towards the end and a relentless spell from Mohammed Siraj towards the end of the session give India fans some hope that India will make the Three Lions toil really hard for these remaining runs. (ANI)
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