England captain Joe Root wreaked havoc at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on the first day of the opening Test against India. Notching up the 20th century in his hundredth Test, the English captain stitched a mammoth 200-run stand with opener Dom Sibley (87) for the third wicket.
The duo exploited the conditions at Chepauk and humiliated the Indian bowlers for almost the entire day. Finally, there was a bit of relief in the Indian camp when pacer Jasprit Bumrah struck in the final over of the day and trapped Sibley in the front.
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After the end of day’s play, Root spoke about his memorable knock and expressed his happiness on being in a strong position.
“Really pleased with the position we have got ourselves into, a bit of a shame to lose Dom (Sibley) towards the end. We have to make use of a strong first day. I always felt it is going to play well. It is an unusual looking surface, but it certainly played really well. It is a bit on the slower side and I feel like it will spin as the game goes on, little bit of reverse swing as the day unfolded,” Root said during the post-match conversation.
“It was a good contest and India have some good bowlers, made us work hard for our runs. It is a good first day but we know we have to back it up with something similar. I was just trying to get used to the surface. I wanted to take away the threat as much as possible and the more I got used to the surface, I found a little bit easier. The longer you stay out there the easier it becomes,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“It was a good contest and India have some good bowlers, made us work hard for our runs. It is a good first day but we know we have to back it up with something similar. I was just trying to get used to the surface. I wanted to take away the threat as much as possible and the more I got used to the surface, I found a little bit easier. The longer you stay out there the easier it becomes,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Root also mentioned that getting a century in his 100th Test match is ‘special’ and hoped that his team puts up a substantial first-innings total against India.
“I am a firm believer that your next hundred is your best hundred. It will mean a hell of a lot more if we can get a result from this game. To get a hundred in my 100th Test is special but I hope there is more to come tomorrow and it helps to put up a substantial first-innings total. It was actually quite a nice day today, nice breeze throughout. I don't think I took enough fluids today. Got to make up for it, eat and rest well tonight,” said Root.
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Meanwhile, Root was seen hobbling after hitting Ravichandran Ashwin for a six in the 87th over. After playing the shot, the England captain was down on the ground and his Indian counterpart, Virat Kohli came up for his help.
Speaking about his cramp, Root said, “It's (the leg) feeling alright, got a bit cramped there towards the end. I have to get some fluids in and I could do that overnight.”