England's Chris Woakes willing to risk rehab over surgery to be fit for Ashes in Australia this winter

England's Chris Woakes "could be willing" to continue his rehabilitation instead of undergoing surgery in an attempt to be fit for the Ashes this winter following his one-armed heroics at The Oval. Woakes suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder on the opening day of the final Test against India but still stepped out on the final morning with one arm in a sling as England chased victory.

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Chris Woakes has said he could be "willing to take" the risk of rehabilitation rather than surgery to be fit for the Ashes in November.

The 36-year-old suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder on day one of the fifth and final Test match against India at The Oval and is now waiting for the results of a scan.

The pace bowler was ruled out of the remainder of the Test by England, but he still stepped out to bat with one arm in a sling as England chased a series-winning victory on the final morning.

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Despite his injury, Woakes remains hopeful of making the Ashes, with the first Test beginning in Perth on November 21, live and exclusively on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Woakes said: "I'm waiting to see what the extent of the damage is but I think the options will be to have surgery or to go down a rehab route and try and get it as strong as possible.

"I suppose naturally with that, there will be a chance of a recurrence, but I suppose that could be a risk that you're just willing to take, sort of thing."

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He added: "From what I've heard from physios and specialists is that the rehab of a surgery option would be closer to four months or three to four months. That's obviously touching on the Ashes and Australia, so it makes it tricky.

"From a rehab point of view you can probably get it strong again within eight weeks. So that could be an option, but again, obviously, still waiting to get the full report on it."

England required 17 runs when Woakes stepped out, and while he did not face a ball, he ran four runs before India bowled out Gus Atkinson to claim victory in the Test and level the series at 2-2.

The hosts finished six runs short of what would have been their second-largest run chase of all time.

Despite the defeat, Woakes was on the receiving end of a large amount of plaudits, something he was surprised by.

"In my eyes it was never a question [of going out to bat]. It was just a matter of 'I was always going to do that' and I believed anyone else in that dressing room would have done the same. So it's not like it was just me making that decision," he said.

"But yeah, I suppose it's quite surprising how much people have sent the love, sent the support and said how brave it was. But as I said, in my eyes it was just business as usual."

Speaking to the Guardian about his display of bravery, Woakes said: "I don’t know what it is. You just know you’re part of something bigger.

"It’s not just you that you’re playing for out there. It’s your team and your teammates, all the hard work and the sacrifices they put in, the people watching at home and in the ground.

"You just feel a duty to do it for everyone."