The first day’s play of the most anticipated India – England series saw Joe Root showcase his masterclass with an unbeaten 128 off 197 deliveries at the end of the day’s play. Visiting side, England after winning the toss elected to bat first at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai where they got off to a good start.
Rory Burns had an absolute brain fade moment when he attempted a reverse sweep against Ravichandran Ashwin looking to hit towards the empty point region but instead ended up top-edging it with Rishabh Pant taking one of the simplest of takes.
In the follow-up, 2 Test match old Daniel Lawrence was trapped in front of the wickets by Jasprit Bumrah for a five-ball duck bringing England’s captain Joe Root to the crease. What followed was agony for the Indian fans as Dom Sibley and Joe Root notched up a 200 run stand between the two taking the score from 63/2 to 263/2. While Dom Sibley was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah for 87, Joe Root remained unbeaten on 128 at stumps.
Also Read: Young Mumbai All-Rounder Arjun Tendulkar Registers For IPL 2021 Auction
To get a hundred in my 100th Test is special – Joe Root
After the end of the day’s play, Joe Root spoke about how the Chennai pitch behaved since it had been more than 12 months since a match was played at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium. Root described the pitch as ‘a bit on the slower side and feels the pitch will assist the spinners more as the game progresses.
“We have to make use of a strong first day. I always felt it is going to play well. It is an unusual looking surface, but it certainly played really well. It is a bit on the slower side and I feel like it will spin as the game goes on, a little bit of reverse swing as the day unfolded.”
Root further added on his approach while batting, he wanted to stay in as long as possible to get used to the conditions. Though Root has amassed the 100 run mark, the English captain still believes that there’s more to come on Day 2 which would then help them in putting up an abundant first innings total.
“I wanted to take away the threat as much as possible and the more I got used to the surface, I found a little bit easier. The longer you stay out there the easier it becomes. I am a firm believer that your next hundred is your best hundred. It will mean a hell of a lot more if we can get a result from this game. To get a hundred in my 100th Test is special but I hope there is more to come tomorrow and it helps to put up a substantial first-innings total.”
Also Read: Watch- Rishabh Pant At His Entertaining Best From Behind The Stumps On Day 1