One day his ace paceman James Anderson Woakes (4/55 in 15 overs) and Ollie Robinson Seven wickets were shared between them to give the hosts the lead.
In the end, England trailed India by 138 runs with 7 wickets to spare.
“It was great to be back in whites, win the toss and get India out for 191,” the 32-year-old, who last played a Test against Pakistan in August 2020, told reporters.
It was a mix of misfortune and management decisions, that the Warwickshire pacer had to sit out for over a year.
First, he missed test series After being found in close contact with him in Sri Lanka Moeen Ali who had tested positive for COVID-19.
He missed the first two Tests in India as he was not in Sri Lanka and was then sent home for a period of rest as per England’s rotation policy to deal with bubble fatigue.
Woakes suffered a strange accident at home that resulted in a heel injury that ruled him out of the first three Tests.
“I was desperate to play cricket. It was a bit difficult to come back from a heel injury. I was watching from home, always wanted to be a part of the series.
Woakes, who replaced the left-arm pacer, said: “It’s been a weird year, up and down, caught in isolation, then took a swallow over the summer. It was worth the wait and I really enjoyed it. ” Sam Curran, said.
Bowling with the red ball after a long time, Woakes said he stuck to the fundamentals.
“With a lot of red ball not being played, I was really focused on doing what I do well which is obviously taking the ball away with the right hand and trying to get some movement there. Thankfully the surface responded well.”
While England dominated for the most part, India fought in the final hour with Jasprit Bumrah first two early wickets Umesh Yadav In-form Joe Root claimed the precious wicket.
“Obviously we don’t like losing three tonight including Joe. It was a good wicket. Hopefully we’ll bat well tomorrow and get past his score. Tomorrow will be a big day for us,” he said. .
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