England vs India 2018: I Prefer Playing Like Myself and Not Stokes' Way - Chris Woakes

Right things come at right moments; probably, the line best suits to England’s all-rounder Chris Woakes. He has been out of the team for quite a while, but his comeback at Lord’s Test against India has been quite a story to relish for a long time.

The talented all-rounder had struck with injuries for quite a period for now and always got replaced by the youngsters.

However, by the time of his recovery, there wasn’t any vacant position to give him the Lions cap.

I was over the moon to get a call – Chris Woakes

Meanwhile, the absence of Ben Stokes paved the way for Chris Woakes to get a return. Though Joe Root used him as a fourth seamer in the side for the second Test, Chris immediately made his impact by knocking out India’s best batsmen in the first innings.

He got rid-off India skipper Virat Kohli and then scalped Hardik Pandya who looked solid in his defence. Though he didn’t grab the wickets later, his continuous pressure from the other end helped Anderson to rattle Indians for 107 on day two.

Speaking of the same, Chris Woakes quoted saying the return was a sweet memory and revealed his excitement when he received the call-up. He furtherly talk in comparison to Ben Stokes.

“It has been a frustrating summer so far, missing quite a bit of cricket. But it’s all so sweet today… I was over the moon to get the call to be back in the squad. I could never really have dreamt of scoring a hundred in my comeback Test,” Chris Woakes quoted.

“Coming in place of Stokes, these are big shoes to fill. But you try not to think about that – I don’t try to play like him, I play like myself. I like to my job for the team, and thankfully I’ve done that so far, he added to his lines.

I was delighted to get Virat Kohli’s wicket – Chris Woakes

The return of Chris Woakes to England side had started on a bright note when he troubled Virat Kohli with his quality spell. He found the edge of Virat’s willow for a couple of times in which one was held on by Jos Buttler.

Speaking of it, Chris Woakes explained the importance of Virat Kohli’s wicket and his stature as a batsman. He expressed his happiness for picking Virat Kohli’s wicket which was crucial for his side.

“We all know how good Virat is, a world-class player, number one in the Test rankings. He is obviously a king-pin in India’s (batting) line-up. Particularly yesterday, with the ball moving around, it felt like it was a really good opportunity to try to get him out early. Once he gets in, he’s very difficult to get out – so I was delighted,” Chris Woakes said to The Pioneer.

However, it has been a great performance by Chris Woakes at Mecca of Cricket. It would be interesting to see how the selection procedure takes place when Ben Stokes gets into the side.