Woakes unavailable for India Test as England’s ‘Rest and Rotation Policy’

English ace all-rounder Chris Woakes will be unavailable for the fourth Test against India in Ahmedabad, after he left the tour on Thursday as part of England’s Rest and Rotation Policy.

Woakes, 31, has endured a frustrating winter with England, having been involved in squads in South Africa, Sri Lanka and now India without playing a single game, said ESPN crickinfo report.

He travelled to South Africa for England's white-ball tour in December, but having sat out the T20I leg (his last such match came in 2015), the ODI series was then cancelled due to concerns over the implementation of Covid protocols in the team hotel.

Next, Woakes' chances of pushing for a place on the Sri Lanka leg of England's Test tour were kiboshed from the outset, after his Birmingham-based travel companion Moeen Ali was diagnosed with Covid-19 on arrival in the country in January, meaning that both men were required to undergo an extended period of quarantine.

Woakes was then left out of the first three Tests against India, including this week's pink-ball Test - which might have been his one realistic shot at involvement, given England's belief that the conditions may have favoured seam bowling.