After 104 overs,England 303/3 ( Joe Root (C) 142 , Ben Stokes 26)
An hour of play in the morning session of Day 2 is done and the struggle continues for Indians. Stokes also gets a start so he will try to take advantage of it. Root is eight short of his 150. Eight off Ishant's over. Time for drinks.
Back-to-back boundaries for Stokes. Fuller delivery again from Ishant but wide of off stump. Another good shot.
Stokes does well to beat the mid-on fielder. Good-looking shot against Ishant Sharma.
After 103 overs,England 295/3 ( Joe Root (C) 142 , Ben Stokes 18)
So time for Shahbaz Nadeem to roll his arms. Stokes straightaway goes for the reverse sweep, but can't find the gap. The rough on the off stump will come into the picture against Stokes but he gets off strike with a single down the leg. Five runs, including a boundary, in this over.
Root with his favourite sweep shot. Ishant does well to run and reach the ball but can't stop it. Boundary for the skipper.
After 102 overs,England 290/3 ( Joe Root (C) 138 , Ben Stokes 17)
Ishant to Root, tight line and length. Ishant then bowls a fuller delivery, on the stumps. The ball hits Root's pads but again this is going down the leg side. Umpire is not interested in the appeal and the Indians also don't take the review. This one is a maiden.
After 101 overs,England 290/3 ( Joe Root (C) 138 , Ben Stokes 17)
Right, Ashwin again. Stokes tries to pierce the off-side field with a slash but finds the fielder. He then targets the deep square leg boundary in the next ball and he gets the boundary. He times the slog sweep to perfection. A boundary and two singles in the over.
Root-Stokes' stands in Asia in Tests:
Before this Test: 6, 5, 14, 8, 1, 4
This Test: 25* (and counting)
Nicely done. There's no boundary fielders on the leg-side and Stokes plays the slog sweep against Ashwin really well.
After 100 overs,England 284/3 ( Joe Root (C) 137 , Ben Stokes 12)
Ishant to Root, the ball comes back in as Root gets an inside edge behind square on the leg-side for one run. Ishant goes round the wicket to Stokes. Goes for a quick single after pushing the ball to the right of mid on fielder and finishes it without any trouble. Root is beaten so a good ball to end the over.
India vs England, Live Cricket Score, 1st Test Live Updates:
Day 1 report: Joe Root scored a century in his 100th Test match to lead England to 263-3 at stumps on the first day of the series opener against India on Friday.
After reaching his 20th Test ton, Root went on to 128 not out in 197 deliveries. He struck 14 fours and a six. Dom Sibley scored 87 as the pair added 200 runs for the third wicket.
“It is a special hundred, but there’s a huge amount of cricket to be played," Root said. "Hopefully this will contribute to a good first-innings total. India made us work hard for the runs.”
Root became the ninth batter to score a hundred in his 100th Test, joining compatriots Colin Cowdrey and Alec Stewart.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, Root reached his fifty early in the third session. He was watchful against India’s main bowlers but opened up to play attractive shots as the session went deeper.
Using optimal footwork and sweep shots to good effect, Root accelerated after tea and dominated the Indian bowling attack on its home soil.
England crossed 200 in the 74th over. Root and Sibley added 100 off 234 balls.
The Indian bowlers toiled hard but the Chepauk pitch didn’t offer much assistance as Root reached his third successive Test hundred off 164 deliveries.
At the other end, Sibley occupied the crease for 286 deliveries before India struck late when Jasprit Bumrah (2-40) trapped Sibley lbw with a pinpoint yorker. A tired Sibley unsuccessfully reviewed the decision.
England was 67-2 at lunch, and 140-2 at tea.
The pitch at an empty M.A. Chidambaram Stadium has a sprinkling of grass on it, but it is mostly to bind the surface together than to help out the fast bowlers.
“It is a strong first day for us. The pitch played well, although it had an unusual look. It is on the slower side. I was trying to get used to the surface early on and then with time I found it a bit easier," Root said. "It was a bit of a shame to lose Dom at the end. We wanted to take our partnership as deep as we could.”
Sibley and Rory Burns (33) had added 63 runs for the first wicket before India struck twice through Ravichandran Ashwin (1-68) and Bumrah to even out the first session.
England made four changes from its last Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Rory Burns replaced injured opener Zak Crawley and Jofra Archer came in for Mark Wood. Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope replaced Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow, who have been rested for the first half of this series.
India made three changes from its last Test against Australia in Brisbane which capped a 2-1 series win. Skipper Virat Kohli returned to lead the side after a six-week paternity leave for the birth of his first child, a daughter.
The hosts went with three spinners. Washington Sundar retained his spot while left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem came in for pacer Shardul Thakur.
Nadeem was a late inclusion to the India squad after all-rounder Axar Patel complained of pain in his left knee late on Thursday.
Veteran pace bowler Ishant Sharma also returned to the side after missing the Australian series due to injury and rehabilitation.
It is the first time international cricket has returned to India since the coronavirus pandemic began nearly a year ago.
With inputs from The Associated Press
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