India vs England, 1st Test: England lose two wickets
England were off to a steady start after electing to bat on Day 1 of the first Test against India in Chennai. Openers Rory Burns and Dominic Sibley duly survived the opening hour, and remained sturdy against the spinners eventually. Although the Indian bowlers were on the back foot initially, they struck twice just before the lunch break. Here is the session report.
How did the session pan out?
England skipper Joe Root won the toss and elected to bat in his 100th Test match. The decision turned out to be ideal as the English openers looked comfortable. Their sturdy technique against spin grabbed eyeballs throughout the whole session. Despite scoring at a slow pace, the duo added over 50 runs. However, Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah struck for India before lunch.
A 63-run stand for the first wicket
The England innings was powered by the dynamic opening pair of Burns and Sibley in the opening session. They seemed to have made the most of the Chepauk track, which hasn't assisted the bowlers much so far. They added 63 runs for the first wicket. Interestingly, they became the first visiting opening pair to put up a 50+ stand in India in 13 Tests.
Root features in his 100th Test match
England skipper Root has become the 15th England cricketer to feature in 100 Test matches. At 30 years and 37 days, he has become the third-youngest to do so in Test cricket. Former England captain Alastair Cook still remains the youngest to play 100 Tests (28y, 353d). Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar (29y, 134d) follows him on the tally.
Ashwin drew the first blood for India
The Indian bowlers bounced back in the first session. While pacers Ishant Sharma and Bumrah bowled in the first hour, the spinners took over later. In a strange decision, India included off-spinner Shahbaz Nadeem in place of Kuldeep Yadav. Nevertheless, Ashwin got rid of Burns (33) as he went for an ambitious reverse sweep. Just before the lunch break, Bumrah sent back Daniel Lawrence.
