“You don’t always get what you want"- Chris Woakes talks about turning down IPL for red-ball cricket

Chris Woakes won the Player of the Series award for the 2023 Ashes despite featuring in only three Tests in the five-match series. The fast-bowling all-rounder took 19 wickets in those three games, ensuring that England did not lose the Ashes on home soil.

Woakes wasn't selected in England's playing XI for the first two matches, which the hosts lost at Edgbaston and Lord's. The 34-year-old had been struggling with injuries before, but he skipped IPL 2023 and played three county games to improve his stamina for the red-ball format.

Chris Woakes suffered a quad tear in the middle of the series. He was in pain when he bowled during the matches and was in constant touch with the physio. However, he somehow managed to bowl long spells and emerged as a hero for England.

"You don’t always get what you want and what you’re kind of destined for. But I turned down the opportunity to go to the IPL for a number of reasons, one being the opportunity to potential be a part of this series. At no point did I think I’d be stood here," Woakes said in a chat with The Telegraph.

The all-rounder made a fantastic comeback after being overlooked for England's one-off Test against Ireland and the first two Tests against Australia.

"I’m just proud of myself to be able to keep going"- Chris Woakes ready to lead England's pace attack

With James Anderson turning 41 and Stuart Broad retiring, Chris Woakes is likely to become a lead pace bowler for England in their upcoming Test matches. Woakes is 34 and has featured in 48 Tests. If he maintains his fitness, he can end up representing England many more times in the longest format.

Commenting on the challenges he has faced in Test cricket as a fast bowler, Woakes continued:

"I’m just proud of myself to be able to keep going. The resilience you have to show to play at this level, and keep turning up day in, day out when the body’s sore and the mind is tired."

"The guys are cooked. This schedule is gruelling and when you’ve got such a tight series, which means so much to so many people, you want to obviously be on it every single second of the day. Test cricket brings nothing like any other sport, it really is gruelling. It’s quite fitting to be where I was where I made my debut 10 years ago," Woakes concluded.

England's next Test series is against India, away from home in early 2024. It will be interesting to see if the 'Bazball' approach helps them win their first Test series on Indian soil since 2012/13.