Leading the side from the front, England skipper Joe root on Saturday completed his fifth double-century in the longest format of the game as England reached 555/8 at the end of Day 2 of the opening Test in Chennai. Dom Bess along with Jack Leach were present at the crease and were playing on 28 and 6 respectively.
Kicking off England's innings from the overnight score of 263/3, Root along with premier all-rounder Ben Stokes helped the visitors maintain the upper hand in the game. The pair added 124 runs for the fourth wicket, before Stokes was removed by Shahbaz Nadeem on 82.
However, Root remained firm at the other end and went on to become the first cricketer to hit a double-century in his 100th Test appearance. He was dismissed on 218 by Nadeem, who finished the day with two wickets from 44 overs.
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What happened in the first session of Day 2?
Resuming from the overnight score of 263/3, the English skipper maintained his confident approach against the Indian attack, which could only manage a couple of half-hearted lbw appeals against him.
Meanwhile, Stokes sought to impose himself on India's tired-looking attack and gave an early indication of his mindset by hitting off-spinner R Ashwin over his head for a six. He also frequently opted for the sweep shot to negate whatever turn the pitch offered.
India's desperation showed when they opted for back-to-back reviews, both in vain, after lbw appeals against Stokes and Root had been turned down.
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What happened in the second session of Day 2?
The visitors added 99 runs in the session between lunch and tea and lost one wicket. The captain's 124-run partnership for the fourth wicket wih Stokes (82; 10 fours, 3 sixes) meant England continued their dominance. Pope, who came after Stokes' wicket, overcame an early period of uncertainty to stitch together a half-century stand with Root.
How did the Indian bowlers fare?
For India, the experienced trio of Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Ashwin stuck to their task and ended the day with two wickets each. Nadeem, who took the key wickets of Root and Stokes, along with Washington Sundar could not make any impact and proved to be expensive.
- with inputs from Reuters & PTI
