First Test: Spinners toil as England dominate Day 1

CHENNAI: “Bowlers win matches and batsmen save them”. It’s a famous adage in the game of cricket. From India’s point of view, their bowlers have a lot of work to do after the first day’s play against England here The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium looked a bit flat with patches of grass on a red soil surface. England opted to bat first and were 263 for 3 at stumps, with skipper Joe Root making a hundred in his 100th Test match and Dom Sibley scoring 87.

With left-arm spinner Axar Patel — who is also a handy bat — ruled out of the series with a knee injury just ahead of the first Test, Virat Kohli opted for Shahbaz Nadeem and all-rounder Washington Sundar. Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, who was expected to make the cut, was not included as Washington could also chip in with the bat.

India’s ploy of playing three spinners fell flat as, barring R Ashwin, the other two’s inexperience was exposed by England. Root, who was unbeaten on 128,used his feet well and chose the right ball to attack. He played strokes all around the ground and dominated the day’s proceedings. “It is a strong first day. Felt the pitch will play pretty well, though it had an unusual look. It is on the slower side. India did make us work hard for runs. I was just trying to get used to the surface.

I found it a bit easier with time. We (the partnership with Sibley) wanted to take it as deep as we could,’’ he said after the day’s play. India started off well with Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. Ace spinner Ashwin was introduced as early as the eighth over. The veteran bowled tight lines. He removed Rory Burns for 33 in the 24th over.

Burns and Sibley stepped out and played Ashwin often to the mid-wicket region. A bowling change by Kohli saw the new man in Dan Lawrence get trapped right in front by Bumrah. Root joined Sibley and made the bowlers toil.  Nadeem, who was introduced in the 17th over, bowled a restrictive line. He could not get that extra bounce to deceive Root nor had any variations to trouble Sibley.  England’s strategy of stepping out against the spinners worked for them.