Chris Woakes took four wickets on his return to Test cricket after an absence of over a year. Woakes dismissed opener Rohit Sharma before taking the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant. He then ended Shardul Thakur’s swashbuckling counter-attack, ending the innings as England’s highest wicket taker.
Woakes’ dismissal of Thakur ended a counter-attacking 63-run stand that came off just 48 balls that the latter made with Umesh Yadav for the sixth wicket. Thakur had smashed 57 off 36 balls, which is the fastest half century by an Indian in Tests.
Woakes was declared England’s player of the year in 2020 and played an integral role in England’s 2019 World Cup win. And yet, his international appearances have been sporadic in the last two years, largely due to injuries and Covid-19 rules. He suffered a freak heel injury, when he slipped down a fleet of stairs.
“I was desperate to play cricket. It’s been a bit tricky coming back from a heel injury. I was watching from home, always wanting to be a part of the series.
