 "An incredible moment at The Oval as Chris Woakes walks out to bat with a sling. X")
In one of the most unbelievable moments of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series, England’s Chris Woakes came out to bat during a tense final day at The Oval with his arm in a sling. Woakes walked out with his left arm completely hidden inside his jumper, trying to save the fifth Test for England and prevent India from levelling the series.
It was clear that Woakes was in no condition to bat properly but he still walked out as England had no other batter left and still needed 17 runs to win.
Earlier, Josh Tongue was bowled by Prasidh Krishna with a peach of a delivery that crashed into the stumps. That left England nine down, still needing 17 runs to win the match. Joe Root had said in the press conference on Sunday that Woakes would bat left-handed if required on the last day.
“There was never a question in Woakes’ mind about batting. We’ve had guys go out with broken foots, fingers, just shows what it takes to play for the country,” England skipper Ben Stokes said after the match.
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More ShortsIndia win dramatic Oval Test
On Monday morning, it looked like England would win. They needed only 35 runs with 4 wickets in hand. But India had other plans, thanks to Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. The bowlers stayed calm under pressure and took the last four wickets while giving away just 28 runs.
Siraj was unstoppable. He bowled with fire and ended with five wickets in the second innings and nine in the match. He was named Player of the Match for his brilliant performance. This win was even more special because India didn’t have their star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for workload management.
“I was just thinking that I should bowl in the right areas. To be honest, I didn’t think that I would take the (Brook) catch and step on the rope. It was a match-changing moment. Yes, I always believed myself that I will do it for the team,” Siraj said after the victory.