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'In India, Virat Kohli never…': Fans irked by BCCI after ECB's emotional tribute moves retired Chris Woakes to tears
Indian fans expressed their displeasure at the BCCI after the ECB stole the show with their tribute to Chris Woakes.
The England Cricket Board on Monday shared an emotional video tribute to one of their greatest, Chris Woakes, after the pacer announced his retirement from international cricket. Woakes decided to retire from international cricket last month after suffering a brutal shoulder injury during the Test series against India. The 36-year-old still walked out to bat with a broken shoulder in a bid to save the fifth Test for England at the Oval. He could not get the job done as India won the match by 7 runs to draw the inaugural Anderson-Trophy 2-2, but Woakes received a standing ovation from one and all for his big heart.
On Monday, the ECB sat Woakes down and handed him an iPad containing a video montage of messages from several teammates, including Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Joe Root, Sam Curran, Jos Buttler, and Adil Rashid. All of whom wished him well for the next chapter of his life and remembered some of the fondest moments they've been part of, including winning the 2019 World Cup, the 2022 T20 World Cup, and the Ashes.
Why Indian fans are upset
However, as emotional as the video was, fans from India couldn't help but compare ECB's gesture to that of the BCCI. The Board of Control for Cricket in India was questioned by fans for failing to come up with something as creative and thoughtful for their recently retired cricketers, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin, Rohit and Kohli announced their retirements from Test cricket – in that order – after which the BCCI put out several X posts and videos of some of their greatest performances. However, the fans were not convinced and felt the BCCI could do a lot more, being the most powerful cricket board in the world.
Below are some posts on X:
A season of retirements
It's been a year of retirements. After India's fabled three, Woakes retired with an impressive record for England. He picked up 192 wickets in Tests, 173 in ODIs and 31 more in T20Is, while scoring 3705 runs. England are likely to miss him dearly in Australia, but Woakes is confident of his team achieving what no England team has since 2010-11: win an Ashes series Down Under.
"We've got great depth and a great squad. Going to Australia is always a different beast, but I’m hoping the guys can go and do a good job. If the lads in the first XI can stay fit and on the field, we have a hell of a chance this time," Woakes told BBC Radio 5 Live.
