Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 5 (ANI): England batsman Dom Sibley and skipper Joe Root took the visitors to a solid position after losing two quick wickets in the first Test against India at MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday.
At Tea, England were at 140/2 in 57 overs. Root, playing in his landmark 100th Test match, is unbeaten on 45 runs while opener Sibley is not out on 53.
In the second session, visitors did not lose any wicket and added 73 runs.
Indian bowlers tried to break the ongoing third-wicket partnership between Sibley and Root but failed to do so.
Meanwhile, Sibley scored his fourth Test fifty.
In the 77-run unbeaten stand, both Sibley and Root played cautiously and waited for loose balls to score runs.
Indian bowlers, including Ishant Sharma, Bumrah and Shahbaz Nadeem, failed to find a rhythm as they bowled three no-balls each while going for wickets.
Earlier, at Lunch, England’s score read as 67/2 in 27 overs.
India were unlucky as Rishabh Pant dropped Burns in the initial overs of the game off Jasprit Bumrah.
But in the 24th over, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin brought the hosts back in the game and scalped Burns, who played a knock of 33 runs. Bumrah then sent Dan Lawrence back to the pavilion on a duck.
Root joined Sibley in the middle and the duo survived the final overs before Lunch.
England won the toss and opted to bat first.
Brief Scores: England 140/2 (Dom Sibley 53*, Joe Root 45*; Jasprit Bumrah 1-30, R Ashwin 1-52). (ANI)
