Woakes Regrets Umpiring Decisions as India Seize Control on Day 1 at Edgbaston

Chris Woakes expressed his frustration with several umpiring decisions that went against England on the opening day of the Edgbaston Test against India. The seamer felt England could have had India in deep trouble early on, but the visitors ultimately recovered to post a strong total.

Woakes picked up a couple of wickets for England on the opening day. © Getty

Woakes was convinced he had dismissed Karun Nair early in the innings when a delivery struck the batsman's back pad. Despite the impact being outside off-stump, Woakes believed Nair's lack of an attempted shot should have resulted in an out decision. However, the TV replay showed the ball only clipping the top of the 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 call when he was struck on the front pad. Woakes was certain the ball had pitched in line, but replays showed it 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 frustrating start, Woakes did manage to pick up two wickets, finishing with figures of 2-59 in 21 overs. One notable dismissal was that of Nitish Reddy, who shouldered arms to a delivery that nipped back in to hit the stumps.

Woakes emphasized the significance of playing at his home ground in Edgbaston. "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.