Rohit Sharma gets a seventh ton test while India close out day one of the second Test against England 300-6 on a spinning range; Moeen Ali Virat Kohli bowls for duck on Test comeback; recalls Olly Stone appearing on a day of controversial third-umpire decisions
Last updated: 13/02/21 11:50 am
Rohit Sharma passed his seventh Test as India took control of the second Test on the first day in Chennai (Pic credit – BCCI)
Rohit Sharma won a polished era on a spinning range as India closed day one of the second Test on 300-6 against a heavily changed England in Chennai.
Rohit (161 from 231 balls) scored the seventh Test, hit 18 fours and two sixes, and shared a fourth-quarter wicket of 162 with Ajinkya Rahane (67) as India – who lost the first Test at the same place with 227 runs – rallied from 0-1 and 86-3 in front of 15,000 fans at MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Rohit and Rahane collapsed last session, shortly after the two bats benefited from controversial decisions from third umpire Anil Chaudhary.
Ajinkya Rahane scored 67 and added 162 to Rohit for India’s fourth wicket (Pic credit – BCCI)
Rohit, at 159 at the time, was thought to have put part of his leg behind the line when Ben Foakes fired the bailiffs after delivery from left-arm spinner Jack Leach (2-78), but Leach had the two over later, caught by Moeen Ali at a deep square foot swept.
Rahane, meanwhile, survived at 66 when Chaudhary failed to find that he had taken Leach to Ollie Pope at the short leg after the ball first hit his put – England lost review before resubmitting.
Rahane was sent off one run later when Moeen (2-112) – who had previously cleared Virat Kohli through the gate for a duck – sent on the sweep, while Joe Root (1-15) on Ravichandran Ashwin (13) was caught at the short leg by the Pope before stocks.
Moeen Ali eliminated Virat Kohli and Rahane on his return to the test but struggled for consistency (Pic credit – BCCI)
However, one hundred Rohit, fifty Rahane and a cameo from Rishabh Pant (33no out of 56) led India to a comfortable pitch situation that is already showing signs of break-up.
England were the overall winners of the first Test but entered the second game with four changes – James Anderson rested despite his stellar position with the ball on the final day of the series opening.
Anderson was replaced by Stuart Broad, and Foakes came on as a wicketkeeper with Jos Buttler turned out for the final three Tests of the series.
Olly Stone seized Shubman Gill lbw from the third member he submitted (Pic credit – BCCI)
Olly Stone – playing just his second Test and first from facing Ireland at Lord in July 2019 – came in for burn injury victim Jofra Archer and Moeen – back in the side of the England Test for the first time since the 2019 Ashes opening at Edgbaston – a favorite for fellow spinner Dom Bess.
Stone and Moeen hit at each end of the opening session after Kohli chose to bat – Stone removes Shubman Gill (0) lbw in the second over and Moeen throws Kohli non-stop 15 minutes before lunchtime.
Rohit attacked after watching his opening partner Gill fall leaving an in-jagger – the 33-year-old to a half-century 47-ball race and getting 80 from 78 balls while the India go in for the break of 106-3.
England would have been delighted at lunchtime, however, with Cheteshwar Pujara (21) leading Leach to Ben Stokes in the chord after adding to the 85-run stand with Rohit and Kohli cleared by Moeen after a failed failed connection. .
Kohli was finally upset, after initially thinking that Foakes’ gloves may have taken away the bailiffs or been completely removed until he was knocked over the fifth unscored ball.
Kohli was thrown through the gate by Moeen before lunch on the first day in Chennai (Pic credit – BCCI)
Root’s men went unscathed in the afternoon, however, in a session in which Rohit finished off with 130 hundred balls, after nearly splintering near Moeen to the man in the side of the leg during poisonous spells in the late 1990s .
Rohit found a good alliance in Rahane, who kicked him back from scores of one and was caught in the first Test, as Moeen struggled to match Leach’s consistency and the English sailors were unable to find a kind of swing swing that was so familiarly demonstrated by Anderson on day five of the first Test.
Stone still felt when he returned to the side, however, bowling cheerfully – including tapping Pujara on the hand in the opening session and Pant on the arm in the final round over – and he beat the bat several times on the way to figures 1 -42 from 15 overs.
Stone is playing his second Test and first from 2019 (Pic credit – BCCI)
Rohit was the man of the day, however, leading India’s lead as they made a strong start in their attempt to kick back from their horrific loss in the opener of the series, the first test loss at home since they were beaten by Australia by 33 runs into Pune in 2017.
Rohit pulled down after hitting the bat in the first session but Pant – who resisted a break caught on 22 off Ali – played normally strongly during his late attack. on the day.
India, like England, ran the changes for the second Test, perhaps surprisingly, resting the main runner Jasprit Bumrah. Mohammed Siraj, who lifted 13 wikis in three Tests during a recent 2-1 series win in Australia, came in for his first test match on home soil.
Left-arm spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav also joined – the first for his first attempt at playing white-only cricket for his country before this time – with Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem are the other players to make room for the home team.
Siraj, Axar and Kuldeep will get the chance with the ball at some point – but India will be hoping that will not be for some time and that Pant and Axar (5no) can help the guest towards it, and probably, beyond 350.
Follow a text report on the second day of the second India-England Test in Chennai on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app from 3.50am on Sunday.