[WATCH] Injured Chris Woakes comes out to bat left-handed on Day 5 of ENG vs IND 5th Test

From the start of the fifth day and even towards the end of the fourth day of the fifth Test between England and India at the Kennington Oval, the discussion was only around Chris Woakes and whether he would walk out to bat with a dislocated shoulder that he had on the opening day while chasing a delivery in the outfield. Since then, he has not taken any part in the contest.

Joe Root, after the end of the fourth day, in the press conference, claimed, ‘He's all-in, like the rest of us. It's been that kind of series, where guys have had to put bodies on the line. Hopefully, it doesn't get to that. But he had some throwdowns in here [indoor nets] at one point, and he's ready if needed. He's desperate to do what it takes.’

See Also: [WATCH] Mohammed Siraj traps Jamie Overton LBW on Day 5 of ENG vs IND 5th Test

And it did happen eventually. After Josh Tongue’s dismissal, Chris Woakes walked through the stairs with his broken arm strapped to his jumper. It was hard to see the courage of the players, especially after Risabh Pant walked out with a broken foot in Manchester last week.

Watch: Chris Woakes comes out to bat with broken arm during ENG vs IND 2025 Test series

Woakes was incredibly strong on the fifth day as he ran a couple of singles with Gus Atkinson on the last ball of the overs. One could see the pain he was going through, but as Root mentioned, the all-rounder put everything aside to put his body on the line for the national side.

Arm in a sling, Chris Woakes has arrived to the crease 😱 pic.twitter.com/D4QDscnfXE

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 4, 2025

‘I'm not sure, I've not seen him practice yet. You might get a better indication tomorrow if he has some throwdowns in the morning. He's in a huge amount of pain, having done what he's done. It just shows, as we've seen from other guys in this series, [Rishabh] Pant batting with a broken foot, guys taking all sorts of blows here and there.’ Root expressed on Woakes.

Atkinson’s dismissal was the end of the dramatic series as the tourists gained a small six-run win. It became India’s smallest victory by margin.