'Hope we meet again': Chris Woakes reveals Rishabh Pant's heartfelt voice note, apologises for foot fracture inducing delivery

NEW DELHI: In one of the more heartwarming exchanges to emerge from the fiercely contested five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, England pacer Chris Woakes revealed a friendly and touching chat with Indian star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant after both cricketers sustained injuries during the just concluded high-octane Test series.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Woakes, who dislocated his shoulder while fielding on Day 1, was ruled out of the remainder of the fifth and final Test at The Oval. Despite his injury, the veteran pacer stunned fans and teammates alike by walking out to bat on Day 5 with his right arm in a sling, trying to help England pull off a miraculous win. India, however, held their nerve to win by six runs, levelling the series 2-2.Pant, who fractured his toe while playing a reverse sweep against Woakes during the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, was equally brave — scoring a vital half-century despite the pain, though he was eventually ruled out of the final match and couldn't don the gloves.Speaking to The Guardian, Woakes shared the story behind their exchange. “I saw Rishabh had put an image of me on Instagram with a salute emoji, so I replied thanking him: ‘Appreciate the love and hope the foot is OK,' etc,” Woakes recalled. “He then sent me a voice note saying: ‘I hope all is OK, good luck with the recovery and I hope we meet again out there some day.' I obviously said sorry for the broken foot.”The message from Pant underscored the mutual admiration and sportsmanship between the two, even after their gritty on-field battles.Woakes also backed Ben Stokes' stance against the introduction of injury substitutes in Test cricket. “I'm with Stokesy, to be honest,” he said. “Having played for 18 years, the game is what it is: you lose a player and as a team you have to find a way. It makes you more resilient and the team stronger.”Although he acknowledged arguments for change — especially in the case of "freak injuries" like his — Woakes warned that such a rule would open "too many grey areas or loopholes."