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The fifth and final Test of the highly-anticipated five-match series between England and India is well poised with the result likely to go in favour of the home side. Underway at the Kennington Oval in London, the match has gone down to the wire with England needing only 35 runs to win, whereas the visiting team needs four more wickets to take the series into a stalemate after day four.
After a well-made 54 off 83 deliveries from Ben Duckett and centuries from Joe Root and Harry Brook, helped England breach the 330-run mark in their chase of 374. However, day four saw the umpires call off play due to bad light, the home side are just 35 runs shy of the target. Currently, Jamie Smith (2*) and Jamie Overton (0*) are at the crease with three more batters in line.
Chris Woakes to be available to bat on Day 5, confirms Joe Root
But at the day four’s close, the Oval centurion Joe Root addressed the press conference. When inquired of Chris Woakes availability, the veteran England batter confirmed that if needed, he will be available to walk out with the bat. "He's all-in, like the rest of us. It's been that kind of series, where guys have had to put bodies on the line. Hopefully, it doesn't get to that. But he had some throwdowns in here at one point, and he's ready if needed… He's desperate to do what it takes. I'm not sure. I have not seen him practice yet. You might get a better indication tomorrow if he has some throwdowns in the morning," Root revealed.
It is to be noted that on the opening day of the fifth Test, Chris Woakes injured his shoulder in an attempt to save a boundary after landing awkwardly. However, he was confirmed to miss the remainder of the ongoing Test ahead of day two’s play with a shoulder dislocation.
England’s Playing XI vs India for fifth Test
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue
