Xtra Time Web Desk: England captain Joe Root on Friday scored a brilliant hundred (128*) against India on the first day of the 1st test match at Chepauk. Root shared a mammoth 200 runs partnership with opener Dom Sibley (87) as the visitors reached 263/3 at stumps on Day 1. It was the third consecutive test hundreds for the England captain, following his 228 & 186 against Sri Lanka. Root has now scored 20th test ton, fifth against India. The England captain was quite ecstatic on reaching the three figure in his milestone 100th test match as he raised his bat to an applauding England dressing room in Chennai.
The in-form England captain swept the Indian spinners around the stadium as he reached the landmark in 164 balls.
He joined England greats Colin Cowdrey and Alec Stewart in getting a hundred in their 100th Test. Root is the first to score a century in his 98th, 99th and 100th Test.
Dom Sibley provided the perfect support to Root as the England opener looked set for his hundred but unfortunately missed a fuller length delivery from Bumrah in the final over of the day, getting plumbed for 87 runs. Bumrah, playing in his first test on home soil after 17 tests was the most successful among the Indian bowlers with 2 wickets.
Earlier England won the toss and decided to bat first. English openers Dom Sibley and Rory Burns (33) played confidently to take the score to 63 before Ravichandran Ashwin gave the breakthrough. The off spinners induced an edge off Burns to be caught behind. Burns could have departed earlier had Pant latched on to a diving effort towards the leg side. Dan Lawrence did not add to his score as he lasted only 5 balls to be leg before off Bumrah for a duck.
India rued the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, who is not available in the series due to injury. India made a surprise inclusion by picking Shahbaz Nadeem ahead of an experienced Kuldeep Yadav.