England's hopes for a series-clinching victory against India in the fifth and final Test at The Oval have suffered a significant blow, with Chris Woakes sustaining a concerning shoulder injury on the first day. The extent of the injury is still unknown, but it appeared serious enough to force him off the field, leaving the English bowling attack depleted.
The incident occurred late in the day, during India's first innings, after England had won the toss and elected to bowl. Woakes was chasing a ball towards the boundary when he dived to prevent it from reaching the rope. While he successfully saved the boundary, he landed awkwardly on his shoulder and immediately appeared to be in significant pain. The all-rounder was attended to by the team's medical staff before being led off the field with only minutes remaining until the close of play.
Woakes' injury is a major setback for England for several reasons. He is the only English pacer to have featured in all five Tests against India. He has been a consistent performer with both bat and ball throughout the series, providing stability and experience to the team. In this series, Woakes has lacked control over his line and length, and his pace has gone down considerably. With the bat, he has only managed to score 64 runs, averaging just 10.67. With the ball, Woakes has only managed to take 10 wickets, with an average of 38.70. Beyond statistics, Woakes' experience and leadership will be missed.
The injury also compounds England's existing woes, as they were already without their captain, Ben Stokes, for this Test due to a shoulder issue. Ollie Pope is captaining the side in Stokes' absence. With Stokes and potentially Woakes unavailable, England's team is inexperienced.
On the first day of the match, India finished at 204/6. Karun Nair scored a half-century, ending the day at 52 not out. Washington Sundar was also not out, with 19 runs. Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue took two wickets each. Chris Woakes also took a wicket before exiting due to injury.
The extent of Woakes' injury remains unclear, and further assessment will be needed to determine the full diagnosis and potential recovery timeline. A dislocated shoulder is suspected. If confirmed, it could rule him out for the remainder of the Test and potentially a significant period, depending on the severity.
England will hope for a swift recovery for Woakes, but in the meantime, they will need to regroup and find a way to compensate for his absence as they aim to secure a series victory against a resilient Indian side.
