"Your Main Job Is To...": Gavaskar Blasts Woakes Over Shoulder Injury

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar commented on England pacer Chris Woakes shoulder injury that eventually ruled the player out of the game. In the 57th over of India's first innings on Day 1, Woakes walked off the field after he landed awkwardly on his left shoulder and stayed down clutching it while saving a ball hit to the boundary by Karun Nair at long-off. He received medical attention from England physio, before using his sweater as a makeshift sling on his way to the dressing room.

"First and foremost, I don't understand fast bowlers trying to save one run. Your main job is to bowl. So that one run is not going to make a huge difference unless it is such a tight match, you are coming towards the end. I see these fast bowlers diving and sliding. I believe they should not be doing it," Gavaskar said on Sony Sports.

Notably, in cricket, there is a rule of like-for-like replacement when a player is concussed. However, in any other scenario in which a player is injured, a substitute could be used for wicketkeeping or fielding, but not for batting or bowling.

"If it is an obvious injury and it is clearly something that you have seen happen. A break or fracture for example. There should be a like-for-like substitue. You are allowing for a wicketkeeper if he is injured, but not in the playing XI. For example we saw Dhruv Jurel coming and keeping wicket in the previous game (Manchester Test). You are allowing that because that is Rishabh Pant's speciality," Gavaskar added.

Notably, Pant too hurt his foot badly during batting in the Manchester Test. Jurel kept the wickets while coming in as a substiute wicketkeeper for him but he didn't get to bat as per the concurrrent rules that allowed only Pant to bat.

On the other hand, Woakes' absence in the fifth Test has left England with an attack short of experience, with the rest of bowlers having a combined 18 Test caps for England.

Woakes bowled 14 overs on Day 1, returning figures of 1 for 46. His injury added to England's growing list of concerns, with the team already missing several key players for the all-important final Test, including captain Ben Stokes, who was ruled out of the series decider due to a right shoulder injury.

The 35-year-old has been a workhorse for England throughout the series, one of only two seamers - along with India's Mohammed Siraj - to feature in all five matches. Across the series, he has bowled 181 overs and taken 11 wickets at an average of 52.18.

(With IANS Inputs)

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