Joe Root became the first player to score a double century in his 100th test match (Credit: BCCI).
Joe Root made history as the first player to score a double hundred in his 100th Test when he hit a great 218 as England controlled the second day of the First Test against India.
The English captain started the day at 128 and appeared to be in full control during that record-breaking knock as he hit his fifth score of over 200 in Test cricket and hit the milestone in style by starting Ravi Ashwin for six years.
His 377 ball vigil came to an end early that evening when Shahbaz Nadeem (2-167) got him lbw shortly after Ollie Pope (34) fell the same way on Ashwin (2-132).
Ishant Sharma (2-52) then took two wickets in two balls to finish at 299 in Tests, but Dom Bess, 28 and Jack Leach (6) ended up seeing England at 555-8 thanks to Ben Stokes’ entrepreneurship overall strengthened was 82 in a stand of 124 with root early in the day.
England started the morning 263-3 and wanted to build on an impressive first day with Stokes new to the fold.
After getting a composed start to his innings, the all-rounder surprised everyone, including the bowler, when he tossed his 16th ball over Ravi Ashwin’s head six times – a shot that seemed to bring the game of the day to life.
Ben Stokes and Root kept the pressure on India’s bowlers on either side of lunch (Credit: BCCI)
Ashwin got a couple to turn sharply out of the rough to keep Stokes busy, but it wasn’t until Nadeem got involved in the attack that things really started to happen.
England went after him and Washington Sundar on the first day and tried again, but with a little help from the field, the weirdo managed to fight back with his left arm.
Ashwin switched ends and while India lost two ratings in two overs, lbw called Stokes off after clearing an attempted backward sweep and then Root, the ball shown to go over the top, was the one Beginning of a period of India printing.
Stokes was dropped twice in the next two overs, on the 31st and 32nd. The tough chances of Ashwin from his own bowling and Cheteshwar Pujara from Nadeem were lost. The left-hander almost ran out of Root too, only a bad throw saved the English skipper in the over after he had reached 150 for the tenth time in tests.
India’s bowlers worked the second day, but Ishant Sharma was eventually rewarded late (Image credit: BCCI)
However, Stokes continued to fight, putting pressure on Nadeem by sweeping backwards four times in a row to reach his 23rd Test fifty.
The booth was 92 years old at lunchtime and hit three numbers by early afternoon. Root hit Nadeem through the roof four times to get him to 99 before working a single one.
However, it was Stokes who remained the main attacker who got Nadeem going for a long time for his third six innings and moving within sight of a century before attempting to sweep the same bowler for another and get a top edge that carried to Pujara in the deep.
That put the returning Pope in the middle, and while after six months he took the time to get used to the conditions, Root kept England ticking and soon approaching its double century.
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A reverse paddle sweep for four helped him on his way, but Root had mostly dealt with singles, which made his decision on 195 to skip the field and take over Ashwin all the more incredible.
He did it in the middle, of course, and when the ball was fetched from the empty stands, Root took off his helmet and took the applause again.
Over a tea, India had burned its last rating over a hopeful appeal for a catch from Pope, the partnership was over 50 and England had moved to 454-4, no doubt facing a score over 600.
India’s bowlers kept getting bogged down, however, and Ashwin finished on a stand of 86 when he straightened Pope with a ball that went straight and hit him on the hind leg.
Root passed Alec Stewart and finished third on England’s all-time test scorer list. However, his mammoth innings ended shortly thereafter. A very rare miscalculation revealed that he was caught by a ball that Nadeem skidded.
Root was eliminated after becoming the first player since Kumar Sangakkara to score more than 180 points in three direct test matches in 2007 (credit: BCCI).
England were determined not to lose such a strong position and a 48-year partnership between Jos Buttler and Bess prevented a breakdown and brought them past 500.
It took more than a little luck to get there when Buttler made its way into Sundar, the ball went through behind the stumps to Rishabh Pant, and all of the Indian outfielders went back.
Buttler held its own, and after depleting their ratings, there was nothing India could do if the umpire was not moved. To heighten her sense of injustice, Buttler pounded the next ball for four through the ceiling.
India opted not to take the third new ball and it paid off when Ishant returned and Buttler (30) bowled when the Englishman shouldered his arms. The ball spun well and hit the top of the off.
Jofra Archer was the next ball to go to slow forward and he too lost his stump, but Leach held the hat-trick ball out.
The hosts expected to end the innings quickly but were frustrated with Bess, who kept the score moving with five limits and also benefited from a notable drop from Rohit Sharma, and Leach, who saw England to the stump, with the chance to do this, continue to increase your total number on the third day.
Follow the text comment from the third day of the first test between India and England on the Sky Sports app and on skysports.com from 4 a.m. on Sunday.
