India vs England Live Score – England dominated the second session against India in the first Test in Chennai. The visitors scored 73 runs without losing a wicket. 35 of those runs came from 10 overs after Indian skipper Virat Kohli removed Ishant Sharma when the pacer was troubling Joe Root, who is nearing his fifty on his 100th Test, and got Nadeem back in.
Root didn’t score a run for 25 balls at one stage but he pounced on the inexperience of Nadeem and Washi to get the runs and put England in a really good position. Dominic Sibely has been really good to watch too, respecting the ball and knowing when to play shots. The duo have forced Kohli to turn to Ashwin, Bumrah, Ishant earlier than he would have wanted and that’s a mini-mental battle won by England.
15:35: Kohli and Ashwin having a discussion as Nadeem waits. The two senior pros are coming up with a plan for the left-armer to execute.
15:31: 70th over: England 178-2 (Sibley 64, Root 71)
Root puts on his dancing shoes and meets a ball from Sundar on the half-volley, but only gets a single
15:17: Meanwhile, what does England and India need to do to find a place in WTC final
Here’s the qualification scenario for #TeamIndia to book their place in the final of the ICC WTC.
Take a look 👀 pic.twitter.com/j5KfaTnizJ
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 5, 2021
15:11: Shabaz Nadeem a weakling in India’s otherwise impenetrable armour
The rookie leg-spinner has been unable to put pressure on Root and Silbey. Kohli will not be a happy man, seeing his spinner getting hit on backfoot.
Shahbaz Nadeem has to up his game soon. Can’t keep conceding runs off the back foot.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 5, 2021
14:57: 62nd over: England 159-2 (Sibley 60, Root 56)
Ishant finds some reverse swing, jagging it back into Root, who adjusts and tucks a single. These conditions – a slow pitch, but movement off the seam and in the air even when the ball is in shreds – are just made for senior seamers.
14:40: Joe Root hits fifty, intensifies the race of who the best Test batsmen is
And just like that, with some classic Test knocks and a near run-out, Joe Root continued his good form as he brought up his fifty. The English skipper has now put pressure on Virat Kohli who is yet to score a hundred in Test cricket. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>
14:20: Tea: England can enjoy their cup
14:03: 54th over: England 129-2 (Sibley 52, Root 36)
A big appeal for LBW against Root as Bumrah bowls a leg-cutter, pitching (unusually) on leg stump. Rishabh Pant plays a crucial role as he tells Kohli the ball did not straighten much.
13:50: 50th over: England 122-2 (Sibley 49, Root 33)
Kohli senses that it is not working with the two rookie spinners and therefore turns to Jasprit Bumrah, who fins himself in an unusual situation. Can he get the India needed breakthrough?
13:39: 48th over: England 109-2 (Sibley 44, Root 26)
There’s a gap at deep square leg, inviting Root to sweep Shahbaz. He accepts the invitation, meets the ball early, sweeps for four and brings up the fifty partnership.
13:35: 47th over: England 109-2 (Sibley 44, Root 26)
Sibley switches gear and is now more aggressive as he slog-sweeps Sundar for four.
13:27: 45th over: England 103-2 (Sibley 40, Root 24)
Three singles off Sundar. It’s a different game now, only because Ashwin is having a breather with Sundar and Nadeem by his side.
13:19: 42nd over: England 92-2 (Sibley 35, Root 18)
Shahbaz Nadeem continues with his slow left-arm, and Root late-cuts for a single.
13:13: 40th over: England 86-2 (Sibley 35, Root 12)
Nadeem replaces Ishant and it would be interesting to see if England will look to milk him; not quite yet. Root plays away five dots, then dabs into the offside and hares away for one, the throw coming in hard and flat but not sharply enough to seriously bother Sibley.
13:05: 39th over: England 85-2 (Sibley 35, Root 11)
England need that, “that” being a booming front-foot drive past mid-on for four from Sibley.
12:59: 37th over: England 81-2 (Sibley 31, Root 11)
Things are changing. England were in almost total control through the morning session, but the ball is moving about now and runs are hard to come by. The batsmen need to dig in, because it’ll get easier after tea … if they can hang about till then. Maiden.
12:55: WATCH IND vs ENG 1st Session Highlights
12:48: 35th over: England 79-2 (Sibley 30, Root 11)
Kohli is wise to Sibley now and the field is heavily leg-side, but none of it matters when Ashwin goes around and sends a beauty drifting and ripping away from the outside edge. Suddenly batting looks a touch demanding, so Sibley stretches down the track and half-bats one past short leg; that’s it for the over, and it feels like we’ve entered a passage within a passage within a passage. England badly need to make sense of it
12:47: 34th over: England 77-2 (Sibley 28, Root 11)
England win the first mini-battle: Bumrah departs without breaking through, bringing Ishant back into the attack.
12:42: 33rd over: England 77-2 (Sibley 28, Root 11) Ashwin tosses one out there and Root’s bat follows it as though magnetised … but not until it’s almost past him, and the pair share a giggle. The next ball is a tester too – Ashwin is thinking his brain off out there.
12:23: 29th over: England 69-2 (Sibley 26, Root 6)
Unsurprisingly it’s Ashwin at the other end, fidgeting in from close to the stumps. I’m not sure Root will be able to dominate him as he did Sri Lanka’s spinners, but the flatness of the track is to his advantage and he comes down to drive a single to cover. It’s the only run from the over.
12:21: 28th over: England 68-2 (Sibley 26, Root 5)
This feels like an absolutely gigantic session in the series. India can take the command or lose the momentum in this second session. Bumrah has the ball and is at least intimating reverse-swing because he’s covering it as he runs in, Root facing.
11:42: AT LUNCH — 67/2
That really was perfectly, beautifully, classically England. They spent roughly eleven twelfths of that session being excellent, then took their hard work and shoved it up their own nostrils. The afternoon activity is going to be intense.
Do not be surprised by how England have started. Their openers have easily been the best among all touring teams to India since 2010 averaging in excess of 65. #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/E1NXEOi4RY
— ESPNcricinfo stats (@ESPNcric_stats) February 5, 2021
11:36: 27th over: England 67-2 (Sibley 26, Root 4)
It might’ve been Ashwin’s hand that took the bails off but either way Root made it and that’s lunch. What a sesh that was.
England started solidly, but India will walk away more pleased having picked up two wickets right before the lunch break https://t.co/1D5Zr2qesX #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/qE0HyWwPTi
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 5, 2021
11:33: 26th over: England 64-2 (Sibley 26, Root 1)
India are back in the game, Rory Burns will be absolutely cursing himself because England were catching until he decided to make art. Credit to Kohli, though; bringing back Bumrah was a smart move.
11:29: Bumrah to Daniel Lawrence, out Lbw!!
That’s an excellent bit of captaincy. Most captains would have been tempted to keep Ashwin going against the inexperienced Lawrence but Kohli brought back his ace pacer and he delivers.
11:19: Ashwin to Rory Burns, out Caught by Pant!!
Why did he do that? Burns just gifted his wicket to India. Ashwin and Kohli won’t mind such catches. The hosts have their first wicket just before the lunch break. The ball had a good flight, Burns goes for the unnecessary reverse sweep, the ball hits his glove and Pant takes the dolly.
11:12: 22nd over: England 57-0 (Burns 29, Sibley 26)
A false shortish. Sibley flicks away uppishly, just wide of the man at leg gully there for precisely such eventuality. Such precision! A single follows, then Burns moves across to the offside, exposing his stumps to swat four through fine leg; that was the shot of a man feeling himself.
11:09: 20th over: England 49-0 (Burns 23, Sibley 24)
Burns raises England’s fifty with a twizzle around the corner for two, the only runs off this latest Ashwin over.
11:03: 18th over: England 48-0 (Burns 23, Sibley 24)
Here’s another short one, this time from Ashwin, so Burns contacts his inner Terror Squad leaning back to cut away for three. Runs are coming quite freely now!
10:54: 16th over: England 38-0 (Burns 16, Sibley 20)
Ashwin hustles through another over rooting for a turn, but there’s precious little there for him. Burns takes a single past mid-on, the only addition to the scoreboard; this is all very unEngland-like.
10:46: 14th over: England 33-0 (Burns 13, Sibley 19)
Those runs in Galle, have done wonders to Sibley’s confidence. He flicks four away past square leg, the only runs from the over.
10:34: 12th over: England 26-0 (Burns 12, Sibley 13)
This looks like a terrific toss to have won; England have a chance to set up the series here, and their two batsmen least likely to give it away at the wicket. But this is better from Ashwin, almost sneaking one through Sibley who edges his final ball for one and that is drinks.
10:32: Sibley and Burns stitch the longest opening partnership against India since 2017
The England openers have survived the first hour. In fact, this is now the longest opening partnership against India in India in the last 14 Tests (27 innings), since March 2017.
10:30: 11th over: England 25-0 (Burns 12, Sibley 12)
Bumrah returns at Ishant’s end and Sibley flashes at his first delivery, playing it into the ground and through Kohli’s dive at one; they run one. Burns then plays down into the off side and sets off, having to dive at the other end to make his single, before Bumrah is too straight to Burns and is duly turned away for three; on the fence, Nadeem treads on the ball to stop the boundary and does well to escape with mild ankle-knack.
10:25: WTC qualification on the line
India has been very notorious when it comes to over rates. But they have to be careful this time. Throughout the series, the hosts should take care of the over rate as they cannot afford to lose any WTC points because of slow over rates. Interestingly, it shouldn’t be a factor with three spinners in the team.
10:22: 9th over: England 18-0 (Burns 9, Sibley 8) Sibley is in no hurry whatsoever, seeing away a couple of dots before Ishant tries a bouncer – he won’t mind seeing that and ducks underneath it easily enough, then turns one away to backward square. This pitch is flatter than Stanley, and bowling across Sibley is not the way to wring something out of it.
10:14: 8th over: England 16-0 (Burns 8, Sibley 7)Y
Yes, as expected, Ravi Ashwin comes into attack. And right from the first ball he comes begins the attack and Burns nudges for one, then Sibley makes room and uses the pace to carve away behind squad on the off-side for the first boundary of the match and the series. He has learnt a lot about how to play the spin in the last couple of weeks. It seems, the series against Sri Lanka has been very helpful for the England openers.
10:11: 7th over: England 10-0 (Burns 7, Sibley 2)
Sharma is speeding up, but Sibley sees off another maiden in typical – noch classical – style. I think we’ll soon see spin because nothing’s happening for the quicks and Kohli won’t want these two entrenching.
10:08: 6th over: England 10-0 (Burns 7, Sibley 2)
England will be pleased with this start and Burns, whose hair is still hanging out of his helmet, plays out a maiden.
10:05: Was it a bad decision by England to bat first?
The last eight Tests at the Chepauk Stadium have seen the team fielding first win five times and there have been three draws. The last team to bat first and win in Chennai was Pakistan in 1999. #IndvEng
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) February 5, 2021
10:02: 5th over: England 10-0 (Burns 7, Sibley 2)
Ishant continues to bowl well. But after three dots he oversteps. He is something of a rhythm bowler. The pacer quickly regained his steps and his final delivery is a beauty, the wrist rolling down the ball to straighten it past Sibley’s outside edge. That is the delivery of the morning so far, Sibley doing well to leave it.
9:55: 4th over: England 9-0 (Burns 7, Sibley 2)
Sibley continues to shove the ball, this one into the off side for one. Then Burns steals two away to square leg. There is not loads out there for the quickies. Wonder if we can see Ashwin early before the lunch.
9:51: 3rd over: England 6-0 (Burns 5, Sibley 1)
A close chance. Watch the replay and you will see Pant did get a hand to that. Missing it puts him under pressure, not just behind the stumps but when he bats. Burns, who timed that stroke just played it too finely. Had Crawley been fit and Bairstow been out here, I wonder if he’d have played – likewise Sibley, who shoves to cover and nabs his first run.
9:45: 2nd over: England 2-0 (Burns 2, Sibley 0)
Bumrah playing his first home Test. His first ball, goes wide of the crease, slants across Burns, who hair is long, pokes right out of his helmet and Burns turns it behind… but Pant, dives right, cannot get a hand to it!
9:38: 1st over: England 1-0 (Burns 1, Sibley 0)
Ishant Sharma is back. The left-handed and returning Rory Burns, his second delivery flicked into the leg side for a single; there is not much in this Chepauk track at all, something Indian skipper Virat Kohli had said in the pre-match conference.
9:34: Joe Root is playing his 100th Test
The England captain is the 15th player to complete a century of Tests for the Three Lions. He is also the third-youngest cricketer to do so after Alastair Cook and Sachin Tendulkar.
Youngest at the time of 100th Test
28y 353d Alastair Cook (2013)
29y 134d Sachin Tendulkar (2002)
30y 37d JOE ROOT *
30y 39d Mark Boucher (2007)
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant(w), Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Shahbaz Nadeem
England (Playing XI): Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Daniel Lawrence, Joe Root(c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler(w), Dominic Bess, Jofra Archer, Jack Leach, James Anderson