- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Root fluent after England lose openers early
- Updated: December 16, 2016
Lunch England 68 for 2 (Root 44*, Moeen 7*) v IndiaLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details
India enjoyed the better of the first session after losing the toss in Chennai, dismissing both England openers on a pitch already providing generous – though slow – turn. Ishant Sharma dismissed Keaton Jennings and Ravindra Jadeja removed Alastair Cook for the fifth time in the series to leave England 21 for 2 before Joe Root and Moeen Ali saw them through to lunch with an unbroken 47-run stand for the third wicket.
Neither looked entirely secure, though. Root enjoyed a slice of luck on 9 when he nicked Umesh Yadav while looking to punch him off the back foot, only for the ball to fly between gully and the lone, wide slip. Moeen was yet to get off the mark when he flicked Jadeja uppishly in the next over, through the hands of KL Rahul, who mistimed his jump at midwicket.
That one edge apart, Root looked calm and fluent in moving to 44, putting away the bad balls – such as the long-hop that Amit Mishra began his Test match with – and also …
