Woakes Voices Frustration Over Tight Calls as India Grinds Out Day One Lead

Chris Woakes expressed his frustration after the first day of the Edgbaston Test against India, feeling England could have had a much stronger start. He highlighted two close calls that went against his team, potentially shifting the momentum early on.

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

Woakes's first moment of contention came in the 11th over when he thought he had dismissed Karun Nair. The ball nipped back and struck Nair's pad, and while the impact was outside off-stump, Nair hadn't offered a shot. Woakes, convinced of the dismissal, urged Ben Stokes to review. However, the replay showed the ball only clipping the top of the off-stump, leading to the on-field decision being upheld. Woakes later suggested that if a batter doesn't offer a shot, such decisions should favor the bowler.

"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, Yashasvi Jaiswal also benefited from a marginal call. Woakes struck Jaiswal on the front pad, and the bowler felt the ball had pitched in line. Stokes reviewed, but replays indicated the ball was only brushing the top of leg-stump.

"We could have easily had them 30 for 3," Woakes stated, referring to the two reviews. "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 frustrating calls, Woakes found success later in the day, dismissing Nitish Reddy with a delivery that nipped back sharply.

Woakes ended the day with 2-59 in 21 overs. He reflected on his performance at his home ground, stating: "It felt like the stumps were in play all day. 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."

He further added, "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."

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