Woakes Rueful After Tight Calls Deny England Early Advantage Against India

Chris Woakes expressed his frustration after several close calls went against England on the first day of the Edgbaston Test against India. The experienced bowler felt that the match could have swung heavily in England's favor had those marginal decisions gone their way.

Chris Woakes celebrates a wicket on the first day. © Getty

Woakes was particularly aggrieved by the DRS decision involving Karun Nair. He was convinced he had trapped Nair in front, but the TV replay showed the ball clipping the top of off-stump, leading to the on-field umpire's decision being upheld.

"I need to be careful: I've had some [decisions] go my way over the years," Woakes acknowledged. "In general, DRS has been good for the game. A lot more right decisions are given [than before]. The only thing I would like to come in is that if a batsman decides to leave the ball and it's still hitting the stumps, I think that should be out - regardless if it's clipping or not."

Earlier in the day, Yashasvi Jaiswal also benefited from a close umpire's call. Woakes struck Jaiswal on the pad, prompting an England review. Replays indicated the ball was only brushing the top of the leg-stump.

"We could have easily had them 30 for 3," Woakes lamented, referring to the two close calls. "It was a pretty frustrating morning, really. Obviously emotions run high when you are desperate to do well for the team, do well for yourself and it would've been nice... had those decisions gone our way, the day looks completely different, but that is Test cricket and we move on."

Despite the frustrations, Woakes did find success, dismissing Nitish Reddy with a delivery that nipped back sharply to hit the stumps. He ended the day with figures of 2-59 in 21 overs.

"It felt like the stumps were in play all day," Woakes said. "It didn't feel like a massive nick-off wicket, to be honest; it didn't feel like it had the pace in it for that... It was something which we were looking for. Basically, it was trying to find the right length that allowed you to be full enough not to get driven, but still bring the stumps into play."

Playing at his home ground made the occasion even more special for Woakes.

"Across a career, you don't get that many games at your home venue: this is my fourth Test match here. They are really special weeks. You have a lot of friends and family in the ground, and I've got a lot of love for Warwickshire which goes deep. It's all I've ever known... There's a lot of people behind the scenes who support you through the good times and the bad," he concluded.

India ended the day at 310/5, with Shubman Gill scoring a century.