After the exciting end of the last Test series between England and India, all-rounder Chris Woakes has talked about a moving conversation he had with Indian player Rishabh Pant. Woakes, who threw the ball that broke Pant’s toe in the fourth Test, said he said “sorry” to Pant after the Indian star was really kind to him after he did something brave. The series finished in a 2-2 tie, with India winning the last Test by just six runs. These kinds of moments of tenacity and sportsmanship marked the series.
A Common Bond of Courage
Woakes and Pant both showed their teams’ fighting spirit by coming out to bat even though they were hurt badly. In the fourth Test in Manchester, Pant bravely padded up with his broken toe. In the first Test, Woakes dislocated his shoulder, but he still stepped out to bat as the last man with his arm in a sling.
Woakes told The Guardian about the exchange, saying that once Pant came out to bat, he shared a picture of him on Instagram with a salute emoji. Woakes thanked him and hoped that his foot would heal quickly. Pant then sent Woakes a voice note that made him “quite touched.”
Woakes remembered, “He then sent me a voice note that said, ‘I hope everything is okay, good luck with the recovery, and I hope we meet again out there someday.'” “I clearly said sorry for the broken foot.”
The Indian captain, Shubman Gill, also praised Woakes for his bravery. Woakes remembered Gill saying something like, “That was very brave.”
Woakes praised the Indian team’s performance throughout the series as a sign of mutual respect. Woakes stated, “I told him, ‘You’ve had an unbelievable series, well played, and credit to your team.'” He also said that although though both teams really wanted to win, a drew series “does kind of feel fair” given how hard they fought.