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5th Test: Moeen Ali, Joe Root put England in control against India at Chennai on Day 1
Moeen Ali slammed his fifth Test ton to put England in a commanding position against India on Day 1 of the fifth and final Test match at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk. Joe Root also continued his brilliant form against India with a brilliant 88-run knock.
Chennai: Moeen Ali slammed his fifth Test ton to put England in a commanding position against India on Day 1 of the fifth and final Test match at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk. Joe Root also continued his brilliant form against India with a brilliant 88-run knock.
Playing to salvage some pride after already losing the five-match series, Alastair Cook's men showed a lot of resilience on the opening day. The visitors, however, got off to a bad start after Cook won the toss and opted to bat first.
The English skipper scored a couple off the first ball of the day to become the youngest batsman to reach 11, 000 Test runs. But the celebration didn't last for long for the visitors as Keaton Jennings (1) was dismissed in the sixth over of the innings by Ishant Sharma.
Sensing the left-handed Cook's vulnerability against Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli introduced him ahead of local boy R Ashwin.
Jadeja didn't let his skipper down as he dismissed Cook (10) for the fifth time in the series. India were in total control of the match then, having picked two wickets for just 21 runs.
But Root and Ali resurrected the innings with a positive approach where they dispatched Indian spinners to all parts of the ground. The pair added 146 runs for the third-wicket partnership to turn things around for England.
Then, Root became Jadeja's second victim, after the latter dismissed him caught behind.
After Root's departure, Jonny Bairstow (49) and Ali added another 86-run stand to further strengthen England's grip in the match. The wicketkeeper batsman was dismissed by Jadeja, when he gave an easy catch to Lokesh Rahul at covers.
At stumps, England were 284/4 with Ali (120*) and Stokes (5*) unbeaten at the crease.
Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers for India with three wickets, while Ishant, who made a comeback in the Test squad after missing international cricket due to injury, took one wicket.
India have already won the series, after victories at Visakhapatnam, Mohali and Mumbai. Series opener in Rajkot ended in a high-scoring draw.