Woakes Rueful After Contentious Umpire Calls Hamper England's Day Against India

Chris Woakes expressed his frustration with several close umpire decisions that went against England on the opening day of the Edgbaston Test against India. The seamer believed these calls could have drastically altered the course of the match.

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

One such incident occurred in the 11th over when Woakes thought he had dismissed Karun Nair. The ball nipped back and struck Nair on the back pad. Despite the impact being outside off-stump, Nair hadn't offered a shot, leading Woakes to believe the decision would be overturned on review. However, replays showed the ball only clipping the top of the off-stump, resulting in the on-field umpire's decision being upheld.

Woakes later suggested that if a batter chooses to leave the ball, any contact with the stumps should result in an out decision, regardless of how marginally the ball hits.

"I need to be careful: I've had some [decisions] go my way over the years," Woakes said. "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 close call that went to review. Woakes struck Jaiswal on the front pad with a ball from over the stumps and believed it had pitched in line. Replays, however, revealed the ball only brushed the top of the leg-stump.

Missed Opportunities

"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 managed to pick up two wickets, finishing the day with 2-59 in 21 overs. His dismissal of Nitish Reddy was particularly satisfying, as the all-rounder shouldered arms to a delivery that pitched outside off and tailed in to hit the stumps.

Home Ground Advantage

Reflecting on playing at his home ground, Woakes said: "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 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."

Despite Woakes' efforts, India ended the day in a strong position at 310/5, thanks to Shubman Gill's century.