India’s cricket team produced a moment of class after beating England in the fifth Test of their epic series on Monday. Gus Atkinson was joined by Chris Woakes, who came out to bat with his arm in a sling, as England attempted to put together the 17 runs they needed to chase down their target of 374.
Amid a raucous atmosphere inside The Oval, Atkinson edged England closer to the magic number as Woakes fought quite literally with one arm. And it looked like a dramatic comeback was on the cards until Mohammed Siraj bowled Atkinson to give India the win by six runs and tie the series at 2-2.
Siraj drank in the screams of the crowd, with Indian fans turning out in large numbers, but he and his team-mates were quick to offer a sportsmanlike gesture.
In a moment which wasn’t immediately picked up by the Sky Sports cameras, the Indian team went straight over to Woakes to acknowledge his heroic effort. The 36-year-old suffered a suspected shoulder dislocation last week but he came out to try and help his team regardless.
Woakes was given a rapturous reception and he stuck to his task admirably until Siraj’s final ball. India’s Test captain Shubman Gill paid tribute to him after the match was settled.
He said: “Very, very brave. I didn’t expect him to come out like that, batting with one hand, the other in the sweater, but good on him for showing that courage.”
England head coach Brendon McCullum added: “I was surprised he ran the byes. Good on Woakesy, he is in an immense amount of pain. He was never in doubt that if needed he would walk down the stairs and try to get us across the line. We will assess him over the coming days to get some more information and work out what the plan is from there.”
Harry Brook, who has been named England’s best player of the series, talked up the atmosphere fans created. He said: “It is a great advert for Test cricket. To rock up with a crowd like this today when we needed 30-odd runs to win is phenomenal.
“I don’t think we could get support like that in any other series, other than the Ashes. It has been awesome. The most enjoyable series I have played in. We have not left anything out on that pitch. We have been absolutely knackered.”