IND vs ENG: England's Injury Worries; Woakes Ruled Out of 5th Test

Aug 1, 2025: English pacer Chris Woakes has been ruled out of the ongoing 5th Test match being played between India and England at The Oval. The English camp announced their amended team at the beginning of Day 2 of The Oval Test.

Chris Woakes hurt his shoulder  on day 1, while fielding a Karun Nair drive, after falling awkwardly in an attempt to prevent the ball from reaching the boundary. He had to leave the field and he did not return for the remaining part of the day. On the fith ball of the 57th over being bowled by Jamie Overton, Nair played a drive. Woakes ran towards the ball at full speed, and in an attempt to field it he fell awkwardly, hurting his shoulder. Liam Dawson was sent as a substitute then.

Nair Impresses with Sportsmanship

Nair, who was watching the ball as he ran, stopped short of the fourth run, after watching Woakes fall and get hurt. He did not take the exta run, a gesture that earned him praise on social media and otherwise for the maintaining the spirit of the game.

Gus Atkinson Impresses on Day 1

Gus Atkinson, who was selected in place of Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer, performed well. He took two important wickets and ran out Shubman Gill with a direct hit. He said,

"I am feeling fresh and ready. I know this is my only match, so I want to give my best."

India’s Score at the End of Day 1

India scored 204 runs for 6 wickets by the end of the first day. Karun Nair and Washington Sundar stayed not out and built an unbeaten partnership of 51 runs. This helped India recover after early wickets. England will now try to bowl India out quickly on Day 2.

England's Injury Worries

England in a troublesome position as they are missing four of their main players in the ongoing Test match. Captain Ben Stokes, frontline pacers Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse and spinner Liam Dawson were pulled out of the final game either due to injuries or workload concerns.

England are now left with Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton, part-time spinners Joe Root and Jacob Bethell as their bowling options.