CHENNAI, Feb 6: Skipper Joe Root continued to torment the Indian spinners with a majestic double century that placed England in a commanding position and scuttled home team’s chances of enforcing a favourable result in the first Test here today.
England ended the day two at an intimidating 555 for eight, built around Root’s 218 that was result of a near nine-hour effort in which he faced 377 balls.
Root became the first cricketer to score a double hundred in his 100th Test but more importantly it was an innings that will be archived for future generations as a ready reference on how to play spin on Indian pitches.
The pace of his innings on the second day was a bit in contrast to how he played on the first day when he was the enforcer and Dom Sibley the grafter.
On the second morning, it was Ben Stokes who entered the stage and made it his own with big hitting. He smashed 82 off 118 balls with 10 fours and three sixes and let Root rotate the strike in their 124-run stand.
Stokes though was in awe of Root’s batting style, especially the way he countered the spinners.
“It makes us all feel, you know, pretty rubbish (laughs), the way he makes batting looks. I was a quite surprised he run down the wicket and packed a six to bring up a double (century),’Stokes said at the press conference after day’s play.
“He is in phenomenal form and just making things look very very easy and the way that he plays spin, well dominates spin, it’s incredible to watch.
“I don’t think half England batsman ever play spin in the way that he does. He’s just got options, he has got an answer for everything that’s thrown out and yeah, he’s just a delight to watch him at the moment.”
England didn’t declare after being well past 500 which was like driving home a point and piling on the misery on an Indian team which has now been shaken up on a track where nothing happened for two days.((PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
