Chris Woakes didn't want to bat against 90mph bouncer from Siraj with one hand; felt 'exposed' on Day 5 vs India

England all-rounder Chris Woakes had two sides debating against each other on Day 5 of the fifth Test against India. One was intrigued by what it would be like to score runs while batting one-handed, that too on the wrong side but the other was petrified. The thought of facing a 90 mph bouncer from Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna with his left arm inside a sling, tightly tucked under the sweaters. The second thought was a more realistic and natural one. England's Chris Woakes walks out to bat with a dislocated shoulder(Action Images via Reuters)

This, however, did not stop Woakes from walking out to bat three days after being officially ruled out of the Test with a dislocated shoulder. The reason? England needed 17 runs to win with one wicket in hand. Woakes not coming to bat would have meant an Indian victory. Woakes would not have been able to sleep well without trying. He is a born fighter, after all.

And the decision was taken on Day 4 itself when England were set a stiff target of 374. Woakes knew that he would definitely bat. The score wouldn't matter.

England needed 35 runs with four wickets in hand before the start of Day 5. Jamie Overton started the day with back-to-back fours, raising hopes of an early England victory but as it has happened so often in the series, India struck back. An almost possessed Mohammed Siraj produced a spell for the ages to dismiss overnight batters Jamie Smith and Overton. Krishna cleaned up Josh Tongue from the other end. England were nine down with 17 runs still to go.

In-walked Woakes, holding the bat in his right hand. His walk was not as ginger as Rishabh Pant's for obvious reasons. The Indian keeper had a fractured foot.

The oval crowd gave Woakes a standing ovation. It was one of the most daring acts on the cricket field. He was putting his body on the line for his team.

Woakes ran a couple of singles on the last ball of different overs to bring Gus Atkinson back on strike, and in between, he also managed to run a double. The grimace on his face each time his body took swift steps was narrating a thousand words but he kept going, helping England stay alive in the contest. His partnership with Atkinson added 10 runs to England's total and reignited their hope of a series win before Siraj, yes, he again, bowled a yorker from hell to rip out the off stump of Atkinson.

India won by six runs to end the series 2-2. Woakes didn't face a ball. A big part of him thanked God that he didn't have to.

‘Thank God didn’t have to bat against 90 mph bouncers': Chris Woakes

“It was bittersweet in the end,” Woakes to The Guardian of the fact that he did not face a ball. “Part of me wondered what it might be like, to see if I could have defended the ball, seen out an over maybe, squeezed a run or carved a four.

“But the other side of it was: ‘Thank God I didn’t face a 90mph bouncer, one-handed, facing the wrong way around.’ And I knew I was going to have to wear a few bouncers if I did get on strike. Those were the anxious feelings, really. You’re still pretty exposed out there.”

Just to cement the fact that Woakes is one of the most determined and courageous cricketers going around, if it wasn't already, he wanted to bat in England's first innings itself. Thankfully, England head coach Brendon McCullum ruled that out.

It was during England’s first innings that day, at four wickets down, when Woakes first approached Brendon McCullum to say he would be prepared to go out to bat if called upon. “No chance, boss,” came the reply from the head coach. “Park up and we’ll see where we get to later in the match.”

Click here to read article