R Ashwin gives Ben Stokes a taste of his own medicine after England left handicapped at Oval: 'You reap what you sow'

A mini collapse on the fourth evening forced England to reveal that Chris Woakes, who had dislocated his shoulder while fielding in the first innings of the fifth Test against India, was preparing to bat if required. Mohammed Siraj's fiery spell on the final morning brought Woakes down the Oval staircase, wearing a sling on his right arm tucked into his pullover, as he walked in to bat left-handed after England lost their ninth wicket with 17 runs still needed. R Ashwin hit back at Ben Stokes as Chris Woakes injury rocked England’s chase

Woakes received a hero’s welcome from the London crowd and played the non-striker’s role while Gus Atkinson tried to see England through. In a brief stand of 10 runs off 13 balls, Woakes winced in pain as he hobbled between the wickets for four singles—two of them crucial in returning Atkinson to strike.

But the valiant effort went in vain as Siraj cleaned up Atkinson with a pinpoint yorker, sealing a six-run win for India.

After the loss, former India cricketer R Ashwin hit back at England captain Ben Stokes—who had missed the Test with a shoulder injury—for dismissing the need for injury substitutions as "ridiculous". Stokes had labelled the idea a "joke" during a press conference in Manchester, after India’s Rishabh Pant suffered a fractured toe while batting.

"What you sow is what you reap," Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat. “At Old Trafford, after Rishabh Pant’s injury, the press conference included questions about injury substitution. Gautam Gambhir had said that injuries like these warrant substitutions. Immediately after, the same question was asked to Ben Stokes and he said, ‘It’s absolutely a joke.’"

Ashwin praised Woakes’ grit but said Stokes should’ve reconsidered his earlier dismissal of injury substitutions — especially after England’s ordeal in London.

“I’m a big fan of Ben Stokes. I admire his attitude. But you need to think before you speak. Today, Chris Woakes walked out with his shoulder tucked into into his sweater and gave it his all to help the team win. He almost did it. He was running, showing immense game awareness. Hats off to Chris Woakes — remarkable attitude, remarkable fight, putting his body on the line," Ashwin added.

Ashwin also said that while everyone is entitled to an opinion, calling injury substitutions a "joke" or "ridiculous" was disrespectful. He urged Stokes to think before speaking and suggested that karma had delivered an instant reply at The Oval.

“All I’m saying is: show a little empathy for the other team. Stokes should have considered what it would be like if a player of Rishabh Pant’s calibre was in his team and got injured. Wouldn’t you want a substitution? Wouldn’t that be fair? “You are free to share your opinion — but using words like ‘joke’ and ‘ridiculous’ isn’t respectful. Think before you speak. Karma hit back instantly."

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