[Lord Snooty]

When Joe overtakes Alec Stewart, the top three scorers will all be double O's.

Cook
Gooch
Root

Well that didn't take long to get.

[themaclad]

England 555 for 8 (Root 218, Stokes 82) vs India

Joe Root's second double-hundred in three matches helped England turn the screw on the second day in Chennai, as India conceded more than 550 in a single innings of a home Test for the first time since 2011.

Dom Sibley's dismissal in the last over of the first day had provided India with an opening, with England in danger of wasting an impressive start to the Test and with memories of their last visit to Chepauk - when they had racked up 477 and lost by an innings

But Ben Stokes opted to attack as the pitch started to show signs of wear, racking up 82 off 118 balls to take England to lunch unscathed, before Root's stand with Ollie Pope in the afternoon session helped them towards 500. India were eventually rewarded for their bowlers' hard work, taking four wickets for 52 in the evening session to leave England eight down, but their focus may now be on saving - rather than winning - the Test.

After driving the scoring rate on the first evening in partnership with Sibley, Root played second fiddle for most of his stand with Stokes. Having survived an inswinging yorker from Jasprit Bumrah early in the day, jamming his bat down late to keep it out via an edge into the boot, Stokes decided to put his foot down, and launched R Ashwin for a straight six inside the first half-hour.

There were signs in the first session that the pitch was not quite as flat as it had seemed on the first day, with puffs of dust from the surface and variable bounce for the spinners. Washington Sundar found some trampoline bounce from the footholes outside Stokes' off stump, while Ashwin was convinced he had trapped Stokes lbw reverse-sweeping, only to discover on review that the ball had hit him on the glove.

India burned their second review five balls later, when Shahbaz Nadeem's arm ball struck Root on the pad, but ball-tracking confirmed that it would have missed the top of leg stump. Stokes had two further lives, when Ashwin put down a half-chance off his own bowling and Cheteshwar Pujara, diving at full stretch, failed to cling on at midwicket. Stokes made his intentions clear by slog-sweeping Nadeem for six three balls after the second drop, before reverse-sweeping him for a pair of boundaries to bring up fifty.

Stokes continued to score freely after lunch, clubbing Nadeem over long-on and clipping Bumrah's slower ball through midwicket, but eventually holed out, slog-sweeping straight down square leg's throat where Pujara clung on despite initially fumbling.

Pope joined Root at 387 for 4 and unsurprisingly looked slightly rusty after six months out through injury. Kohli used India's third and final review when Pope swept to leg gully, but replays showed it had clearly hit the forearm rather than the glove.

Root, meanwhile, picked up where he had left off on Friday, happily milking Sundar and Nadeem for singles to keep the score ticking over. He was creative in playing reverse-sweeps and laps, but reached his double with a more orthodox shot, skipping down the wicket to swing Ashwin over the long-on boundary for six.

Root has scored 644 Test runs in five innings over the past four weeks, and his run tally in 2021 is more than double that of his nearest challenger, Steven Smith. As Rohit Sharma came on to bowl his part-time offspin before tea - which included an impression of Harbhajan Singh's action - it seemed as though India were becoming increasingly desperate in their bid to dismiss him. He also passed Alec Stewart to go third in the list of England's all-time leading run-scorers.

But the breakthroughs arrived after the interval. Having miscued an Ashwin full toss over Pant's head two overs before, Pope was struck in front while playing down the wrong line to a ball that didn't turn and was plumb lbw to leave England five down. In the following over, Root was pinned in front of leg stump by Nadeem, playing down the wrong line to one that skidded on, and while England warmly applauded his epic innings, India sensed an opportunity to expose the tail at 477 for 6.


Jos Buttler and Dom Bess rebuilt with an unflashy stand, with Buttler rifling Ashwin for a pair of fours, cutting balls either side of point. He benefitted from Kohli's enthusiasm to review when he got a thin edge behind off Sundar, which was given not out by umpire Anil Chaudhary to India's chagrin. Ultra-Edge confirmed that the decision would have been overturned if India had been able to review.

The stand took the total past 500 as India's hard graft continued, before the tireless Ishant Sharma took two wickets in two balls, extracting prodigious reverse-swing with the old ball. First, Buttler left one alone that he thought would miss his off stump only to look back and see it pegged back, before Jofra Archer made a mess of a similar delivery and was cleaned up first ball. Ishant's double-strike took him to 299 career wickets, though he could not complete 300 with a hat-trick after overstepping.

Jack Leach joined Bess, who offered a straightforward chance to Rohit at midwicket only to be put down, and with India's no-ball struggles returning in the final half-hour, they had added 30 together by the close. When they resume in the morning, it will be the first time in 20 years that England's first innings has extended into the third day uninterrupted.

Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets at @mroller98

[themaclad]

First Test, Chennai (day two)
England 578 (190.1 overs): Root 218, Sibley 87, Stokes 82
India 257-6 (74 overs): Pant 91; Bess 4-55, Archer 2-52
India trail by 321 runs

Dom Bess advanced England's chances of victory over India on day three of the first Test in Chennai, despite a sparkling knock from Rishabh Pant.

Spinner Bess took 4-55 as India closed 257-6, still 321 runs behind.

Bess had India captain Virat Kohli caught for 11 and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane for one, the hosts reduced to 73-4.

Pant then brutally targeted the spin of Jack Leach in a stunning counter-attack, while Cheteshwar Pujara made 73 in support.

But Bess returned to dismiss both batsmen with wicketkeeper batsman Pant caught at deep extra cover by Leach for 91 from 88 balls.

Jofra Archer earlier claimed the wickets of both India openers in a fine new-ball spell after England added 23 runs in 40 minutes with the bat. They were eventually bowled out for 578.

A seventh-wicket partnership of 32 from Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar frustrated England late in the day but Joe Root's side look to be the only team who can win the Test.


Three days in, England have still hardly put a foot wrong in this match.

After patiently accumulating over the first two days, on day three they knocked over India's much-fabled top order.

Archer and Bess were excellent, England's fielding outstanding too.

James Anderson brilliantly caught opener Shubman Gill diving at mid-on and Root clung on one-handed at extra cover at dismiss Rahane.

After lunch they brilliantly squeezed the scoring rate, conceding just 14 runs in an hour during which Bess had star batsman Kohli caught at short leg off the inside edge.

Even luck favoured England. Pujara was caught at mid-wicket after the ball had deflected to him off Ollie Pope's shoulder at short leg.

England's only blemishes were Leach's inability to overcome Pant's dazzling attack and a difficult drop by Archer late in the day to reprieve Sundar on 25. Archer was running back from long-on and spilled a ball coming over his shoulder.

Still, India, the leaders in the World Test Championship who have lost once at home since 2013, face a long battle to deny England over the final two days.

[themaclad]

First Test, Chennai (day four)
England 578 (Root 218) & 178 (Root 40, Ashwin 6-61)
India 337 (Pant 91, Sundar 85, Bess 4-76) & 39-1
India need 381 to win

England will need nine wickets on the final day to beat India after setting up their victory push on day four of the first Test in Chennai.

India closed on 39-1, requiring a record 420 to win or, more realistically, needing to bat out the final day for a draw.

India, who faced 13 overs, lost opener Rohit Sharma to Jack Leach.

Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara reached the close unbeaten on 15 and 12 respectively.

England were tentative in their attempt to set India a challenging target - posting 178 all out from 46.3 overs.

They initially batted positively - building on a 241-run first-innings lead secured earlier in the day - but their scoring rate dropped to a crawl after tea.

Rather than declare, they batted on, allowing overs to be lost from the game - overs which they may need to take nine wickets on day five.

India began day four on 257-6 in their first innings and added 80 runs before they were dismissed for 337 shortly before lunch.

Washington Sundar made an impressive 85 while James Anderson and Leach took two wickets each.

Should England secure victory and take a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series, it would mean just a second defeat for India on home soil since 2013.

The route taken by England to get to this position was curious, but they are still favourites to claim one of their most famous wins in recent years.

There has been enough in the pitch, particularly with the new ball, for England to be confident of securing victory.

India, led by Sundar, made a solid start in the morning but when the new ball was taken the final four wickets fell for 32 runs.

The hosts opened with spin from both ends and England opener Rory Burns edged to slip from the first ball of England's second innings.

He fell to Ravichandran Ashwin, who also dismissed Dom Sibley for 16 with another ball that turned, bounced and found leg slip. Batting was difficult. India's off-spinner finished with 6-61.

India's quick bowlers found uneven bounce when introduced, another boost for England's chances.

Ishant Sharma dismissed Dan Lawrence lbw with a ball that kept low for his 300th Test wicket and Jasprit Bumrah did the same to Joe Root, after the England captain had made a breezy 40.

England were strangely flat for much of their late burst with the ball, Jofra Archer not offering the penetration of the first innings.

But, Leach's wicket of Rohit was a fine delivery that pitched on middle stump and hit off, highlighting the difficulties India will face.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

All wrapped up, and with a session to spare. I make that the first England Test win in Chennai since 1985?

[themaclad]

ngland 578 (Root 218, Sibley 87, Stokes 82) and 178 (Ashwin 6-61) beat India 337 (Pant 91, Sundar 85*, Pujara 73, Bess 4-76) and 192 (Kohli 72, Leach 4-76) by 227 runs

England inflicted a 227-run defeat on India in Chennai thanks to a dominant fourth-innings bowling performance, with Jack Leach and James Anderson taking seven wickets between them on the final day as they wrapped up victory before tea.

After removing Rohit Sharma on the fourth evening, Leach struck the first blow on the fifth morning by drawing an edge from Cheteshwar Pujara, and returned to help mop up the tail, but it was Anderson's spell before lunch that ripped out India's middle order and set the win in motion.

With the ball reverse-swinging and keeping low from a length, Anderson sent the off stump cartwheeling out the ground twice in his first over of the day to remove Shubman Gill and Ajinkya Rahane, and induced a leading edge from Rishabh Pant to leave him with figures of 5-3-6-3 in a spell that defined the day.

Despite a near-faultless innings of 72 from Virat Kohli, India's chances were quashed by the loss of five wickets in the first session, and after a grubber from Ben Stokes snuck under Kohli's bat, Leach and Archer finished the job to seal a sixth consecutive away win for England. This was only India's second defeat at home since their 2-1 series loss to England in late 2012, and leaves them needing at least two wins and a draw in the remaining three matches if they are to reach the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Gill had started the day by working the first ball he faced for four through midwicket, punishing Leach as he dropped a fraction short. But if India had hoped that would be a sign of things to come, there was evidence early on that the pitch would not prove straightforward: Gill had to jam his bat down on a shooter from Leach, and was beaten by some extra bounce from a length two overs later, while Jofra Archer found inconsistency in carry while bowling to Pujara.

Pujara's wicket looked the crucial one, after his rearguard efforts in Australia and with his impeccable record against left-arm spin. But he was gone within half an hour: he closed the face looking to work Leach into the leg side, but the ball turned and bounced to take the shoulder of the bat and loop up to Stokes at slip.

Gill continued to score freely, picking off Dom Bess' loose balls and reaching a fluent half-century, at which point Root threw the ball to Anderson, hoping he could get it to reverse-swing. He could. His second ball was full, and hooped in from outside off stump. It breached the gap between Gill's bat and pad, and crashed into the off stump, sending it cartwheeling and England into exuberant celebrations.

But Anderson was not content with a single breakthrough. The fourth ball of his over rapped Rahane on the pad, again hooping in towards the stumps from wide on the crease and keeping low. Umpire Nitish Menon was unmoved so England reviewed, and while the ball was shown to have been crashing into the base of middle, the decision was upheld with its impact shown as 'umpire's call

There was no doubt about his next ball. Anderson again went very full, anticipating prodigious movement from the reversing ball, and again snuck through the gap between bat and pad. The ball kept low once more, pinging into Rahane's off stump and sending it out of its groove. It left India four down within the first hour, and with their hopes of saving the game hanging by a thread.

Anderson struck once more in his spell, with Pant unable to continue his rich vein of form. Having reversed the ball both ways, Anderson ran his fingers down the side of the ball when pitching full, and Pant, shaping to work to leg, could only miscue to Root at short cover via a leading edge.

Bess returned after an inconsistent first spell, and once Kohli - who looked in fine touch right from the start of his innings - had hit him for four off a full toss, he drew a thin edge from Washington Sundar, prodding forward outside off, who was given out on review.

Kohli represented India's final hope, putting away three consecutive full tosses from the wayward Bess before lunch and lofting Archer down the ground for a crisp four. Archer rapped Ashwin on the glove before striking him on the wrist and the badge of the helmet, but India went into the break six down.

After lunch, Leach again found extra bounce from a length to get Ashwin caught behind, shaping to cut but only managing to glove through to Buttler behind the stumps. Kohli had not put a foot wrong, but was undone by a shooter from Stokes which skidded out of the rough and knocked back the off stump, and after Leach had Shahbaz Nadeem caught at silly point to take his fourth and England's ninth, Archer sealed the win as Jasprit Bumrah edged behind.

England were buoyant, winning their sixth Test in Asia on the bounce and their 11th in a row with Root as captain, helping him move level with Michael Vaughan with 26 wins, the most by an England captain. Questions about the timing of his declaration were made academic by a clinical bowling performance on the final day, and his side are now 1-0 up in a series they went into as outsiders.

Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets at @mroller98

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

I've just watched Moeen Ali bowl Virat Kohli for a fifth-ball duck. Might stick a bundle on Lord Lucan to win the Grand National riding Shergar this year.

[themaclad]

Spectators in the ground that'll never catch on

[themaclad]

India 300 for 6 (Rohit Sharma 161, Rahane 67) vs England

A majestic innings in capricious conditions from India opener Rohit Sharma gave the hosts a strong platform at the outset of the second Chennai Test. Rohit counterattacked during a harum-scarum morning session and then settled in to grind England into the dry, cracked clay of the MA Chidambaram Stadium, converting his fourth Test hundred as an opener into a dominant 161.


After Virat Kohli had voiced his dissatisfaction with the pitch produced at Chepauk for the first Test against England, it was no surprise to see the ball turn and spit for the spinners on day one of the rematch. Kohli himself was done in by it, bowled for a fifth-ball duck by the returning Moeen Ali before lunch. But that was the high point of the day for Moeen and England, as Rohit and Ajinkya Rahane produced a bustling century partnership that threatened to be decisive even at such an early stage.

England claimed three early wickets - including one for Olly Stone with his third ball on only his second Test appearance - but were effectively shut out by Rohit and Rahane during the afternoon session, despite regular half-chances coming and going. Again Joe Root was left to rue a lack of control from his spinners: Jack Leach was the more consistent, asking questions throughout the day, while Moeen went at more than four an over, despite picking up the wickets of Kohli and Rahane.

Rohit rode his luck at times, gloving Leach short of slip on 41 and enduring some nervy moments against Moeen in the 90s, but he picked when to attack with judicious care to ensure that India would not squander their in advantage after winning the toss. He skipped along briskly during the early exchanges, scoring 80 from 78 balls before lunch, and kept England toiling long into the day. Such was his dominance that he was visibly frustrated after slog-sweeping Leach to deep backward square leg, having scored almost exactly two-thirds of his side's 248 for 4.

Rahane showed his quality, too, reaching fifty for the first time since his Boxing Day Test hundred at the MCG. He fell shortly after Rohit, although not before he had controversially been given not out on review when the third umpire failed to check whether a delivery from Leach had bounced up to hit the glove off the pad.

In the next over, Rahane was bowled sweeping at Moeen, and Root himself picked up a wicket when he had R Ashwin stabbing a bat-pad catch to short leg, but with Rishabh Pant bringing out his trusty frying pan to deal with the spitting ball India bounced along to reach 300 in the final over of the day, much to the satisfaction of the home fans who had been allowed back in for this match.

England, whose attack featured three changes from the one that bowled them to victory in the first Test, made a good start after being put into the field, with Stone striking in the second over, Shubman Gill pinned lbw offering no shot. Rohit and Cheteshwar Pujara then played positively during an 85-run partnership at more than four an over, with the former latching on whenever England's bowlers missed their lengths. Rohit hooked Ben Stokes for six, twice swept Leach for fours to bring up a 47-ball fifty and drilled another boundary to long-on to take India to 100 shortly before the break.


There were early signs of turn and the ball disturbing the surface, though, and it was Leach who broke the second-wicket stand when Pujara tamely steered to slip. That brought cheers from the crowd, with Chepauk back at 50% capacity for this game, as Kohli walked out to bat - but they were silenced a few moments later when Moeen tossed up an inviting delivery that ragged back inside the India captain's expansive drive to ping the off bail.

Kohli was left looking quizzically at his partner, and lingered while the umpires confirmed that the ball had indeed crashed directly into the stumps. But as has often been the case during Moeen's Test career, he mixed the sublime with the ordinary: his first ball of the day was a full toss, and a similar delivery saw Rahane get off the mark with a drive through cover.


With Rohit sweeping aggressively - he scored six boundaries and 31 runs from the 16 times he employed the shot - and Rahane working the gaps interspersed with the occasional off-side boundary, India held England at bay before pressing home their advantage as the day wore on. Rohit, who survived an early review for lbw against Leach, was occasionally ruffled by the left-arm spinner's line, while Rahane had to endure some uncomfortable moments against Stone's short stuff, but as the partnership grew so will England's sense of foreboding about a surface on which they will have to bat last.

Having moved to 97 by rifling Moeen over long-off for six, Rohit almost toe-ended a paddle sweep to short midwicket, before bringing up his hundred with a more effective attempt a couple of overs later. England thought he should have been given out stumped on 159, but TV umpire Anil Chaudhary gave Rohit the benefit of the doubt despite his back foot seeming to be on the line when Foakes dislodged the bails.

Chaudhary was again the focus of attention once Rohit had departed, when he declined to wind the replay on after determining that the delivery had missed Rahane's inside edge. England's review, which had been lost in error, was later restored by the match referee - but their frustration was palpable at the end of a day that clearly distilled the challenge ahead.

[themaclad]

Have a feeling we are Donald Ducked in this one