Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant paid a hilarious tribute to retiring England all-rounder Chris Woakes, saying that he had left a mark on him before calling time on his career. The 27-year-old was struck on his right foot while attempting a reverse sweep to a Woakes delivery in the fourth Test at Old Trafford in July.
Pant was taken off the field in a golf cart, but returned to bat the following day scoring 54 runs before falling to Jofra Archer. That proved to be his final act in the series as he would neither keep wickets nor bat in the second innings of the match.
The blow, which was later revealed to be a fracture, forced him to miss the fifth Test at The Oval and also ruled him out of the Asia Cup 2025 as well as the upcoming two-Test series against West Indies, starting in Ahmedabad on October 2.
“Happy Retirement Woakesy. You have been amazing on the field. Lots of discipline, a big smile and always good vibes. Now you can finally give that bowling arm a rest and my foot too. You definitely left a mark on me before retirement.Wishing you a fantastic journey ahead,” Pant wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.
Pleasure has been all mine. No regrets 🏴 pic.twitter.com/kzUKsnNehy
— Chris Woakes (@chriswoakes) September 29, 2025
The 36-year-old all-rounder announced his international retirement on Monday, bringing the curtains down on a successful career which saw him feature in two World Cup-winning squads in 2019 and 2022.
Woakes’ final international appearance saw him walk out to bat with his arm in a sling against India at The Oval. He walked out to bat at number 11, with his side needing 13 runs to win the match and the series 3-1.
However, he was stranded at the other end for zero after Mohammed Siraj dismissed Gus Atkinson for 17 to help India seal a six-run win and level the series 2-2. The injury also raised doubts over his participation in the Ashes and when he could make the cut for the marquee series; the curtains came down on his international career.
