India vs England 2016, 5th Test, Day 1 – As it happened...

Moeen Ali and Joe Root played two brilliant knocks to put England in control on Day 1 of the India-England fifth Test match being played at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai.

Chennai: Moeen Ali's fighting knock has put England in a respectable position against India on Day 1 of the fifth Test match at MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk stadium. After winning the series 3-0, India are eyeing their biggest series win against England. Alastair Cook is under tremendous pressure as this match could be the end of his innings as captain.

Over 90 | Score 284/4 | (Ali 120*, Stokes 5*)

STUMPS: Moeen Ali, who had hit a century in the first Test of the series, looked unperturbed against India's quality bowling attack. First with Root, and then with Bairstow, Ali made sure to build crucial partnerships for his team. For India, Jadeja was the key bowler as he picked three wickets. Rare bad day at the office for R Ashwin, who went wicketless.

Over 84 | Score 263/4 | (Ali 100*, Stokes 4*)

Moeen Ali, probably the most underrated batsman of this English batting line-up, has brought up his second century of the series. He has been one of the most consistent performers for England both with the bat and the ball. He came to bat at a difficult situation but has played a fluent knock since then.

Over 81 | Score 253/4 | (Ali 95*)

Bairstow was unlucky as he fell one-run short of a well deserved fifty. Jadeja picked his third wicket of the match as the batsman's dive went straight to Lokesh Rahul at covers. These two added 86 runs for the fourth wicket.

JM Bairstow c Rahul b Jadeja 49 (90b)

Over 70 | Score 221/3 | (Ali 74*, Bairstow 38*)

After losing the big wicket of Root, Ali and Bairstow are in the process of adding another big partnership for England. The pair has added 54 runs for the fourth wicket partnership. After a good start to this match, Indian bowlers haven't been able to capitalise on the start as English batsmen have played with a better technique and a positive mindset against the spinners.

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Over 60 | Score 182/3 | (Ali 63*, Bairstow 10*)

TEA: After struggling in the first session, the visitors bounced back as Root and Ali troubled the Indian bowlers with a brilliant counter-attack. A review led to Root's downfall and new batsman Bairstow and looked good at the crease so far. Moeen Ali, as he usually does, is quietly playing another significant knock for England.

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Over 55 | Score 167/3 | (Ali 58*, Bairstow 0*)

Jadeja bagged the big fish – Joe Root – after India got one of their reviews right. The right-hander attempted a sweep shot and as the ball was caught by Parthiv, it looked like it had touched some part of the batsman's bat. The team was convinced, the umpire wasn't. After a lot of contemplation, Kohli went for the review, which worked in his favour! Massive breakthrough for India. Jadeja has ended the 146-run stand for the third wicket.

Over 41 | Score 116/2 | (Root 64*, Ali 29*)

Brilliant fightback from Root and Ali after losing two quick wickets. After lunch, these two have batted with more positive intent and have not hesitated in charging down the track against Indian spinners. Kohli would be slightly worried with this partnership, as these two have added unbeaten 95 runs so far.

Over 29 | Score 68/2 | (Root 44*, Ali 7*)

End of first session. India dominated the proceedings, but Root has fought for his team yet again. Root and Ali have added unbeaten 47 runs for the third-wicket partnership. The visitors would want these two to convert into a much bigger partnership.

Over 25 | Score 62/2 | (Root 39*, Ali 6*)

Root and Ali have resurrected the innings to an extent. In all the Tests he has played against India, Root has either scored a fifty, or a century. The right-hander looks all set to maintain that record. He is being well supported by Moeen Ali, who is a very underrated English batsman.  

Over 13 | Score 21/2 | (Root 9*, Ali 0*)

Jadeja, who has troubled Cook right throughout the series, dismissed the left-hander yet again! Jadeja bowled a length ball and Cook half-heartedly poked his bat towards it, the edge went to slips where Kohli held on to a good low catch. Cook and Root could add just 14 runs for the second wicket. Moeen Ali is the next man.

AN Cook c Kohli b Jadeja 10 (38b)

Over 11 | Score 17/1 | (Cook 10*, Root 5*)

Indian bowlers have not bowled many loose deliveries so far. Cook and Root are two of England's most established batsmen and it's crucial that they stitch a big stand, making the job easier for the batsmen to follow. Ravindra Jadeja was introduced ahead of local boy R Ashwin by skipper Kohli.

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Over 6 | Score 4/1 | (Cook 5*, Root 0*)

Ishant Sharma got India their first breakthrough when he lured Jennings with a length ball, invited him for a drive and the left-hander edged it to slips. Good, disciplined bowling by the Indian seamers so far. Joe Root is the new man in. This partnership will be crucial for England.

KK Jennings c Patel b Sharma 1 (17b)

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Over 1 | Score 4/0 | (Cook 3*, Jennings 0*)

Umesh Yadav started the proceedings with the ball for India. Cook worked the first ball for a couple of runs with which he also completed 11, 000 runs in Test cricket. Cook is under severe pressure and he possibly has the last chance to save his captaincy by playing a big knock in the final Test of the series.

England's playing XI: A Cook (c), K Jennings, J Root, M Ali, J Bairstow (wk), B Stokes, J Buttler, L Dawson, A Rashid, S Broad, J Ball

Changes by England: James Anderson and Chris Woakes have been left out. Liam Dawson will make his debut. Stuart Broad is back from injury as well.

India's playing XI: M Vijay, L Rahul, C Pujara, V Kohli (c), K Nair, P Patel (wk), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, A Mishra, U Yadav, I Sharma

Changes by India: Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma replace Jayant Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar  

TOSS: England won the toss and Alastair Cook as expected, opted to bat first.

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LIKELY XIs

India: KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Karun Nair, Ravichandran Ashwin, Parthiv Patel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

England: Alastair Cook (capt), Keaton Jennings, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Stuart Broad, Adil Rashid, Jake Ball

PREVIEW

Cricket will provide the ravaged city some succour and the Indian team an opportunity to record its biggest-ever series victory against England when the two sides lock horns in the fifth and final Test at Chennai.

The match will also be a chance for the Indians to stretch their unbeaten run to a record 18 matches.

The southern metropolis has been ravaged by Cyclone Vardah that left in its wake, large-scale destruction. The catastrophe did not spare the iconic Cheapauk either, but the square and the outfield have not been damaged.

In their quest to get the venue ready in time, the ground staff were yesterday seen using burning coal to dry the pitch to be used for the match, which was rendered inconsequential after India wrapped up the series with a convincing win in Mumbai.

Training was cancelled owing to a wet ground, despite the stadium boasting of one of the best drainage systems in the country.

READ FULL PREVIEW HERE

India are leading the five-match series 3-0 and should they taste success in the final Test, it will be their biggest against England, the previous being the 3-0 whitewash in 1992-93 under Mohammed Azharuddin's captaincy.

It will be a sweet revenge for the twin defeats, including a 4-0 drubbing in 2011, which India suffered at the hands of England in the last two series between the two nations.

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New Delhi: Welcome to our live coverage of Day 1 action of the India-England fifth Test match being played at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai.