England were facing up to a huge first-innings trail after 106 runs for eight on day two of the second Test against India
The tourists dismissed India for 329 in the first hour of play, Moeen Ali and Olly stone taking two wickets each, but soon realized the Chennai pitch was offering a fantastic turn.
The entire top order was failed with just 87 runs, including the danger man Captain Joe Root for just six, and at tea, they were still 24 short of the follow-on mark with only two wickets in hand. With Ravichandran Ashwin fully on the song and four wickets to the good and left-armer Axar Patel gave him solid support.
England would have been happy with their morning’s work, taking less than 40 minutes to finish the India innings for the addition of 29 runs.
Moeen picked up two wickets in the second over of the day.
Rishabh pant now knew time was against him and unleashed a barrage of aggressive strokes, with Moeen bearing the brunt as he reached 58 not out.
The clatter of wickets will not have eased the minds of the English openers and neither Burns nor Dom Sibley survived the new ball.
Burns managed only three deliveries before Ishant had him lbw from round the wicket, clipped in front of leg stump for a third duck in his last five outings.
Sibley started more convincingly, scoring each of the first 16 runs, before an attempted sweep off Ashwin bumped the back of his bat on its way to an animated Virat Kohli at leg-slip.
With first-innings knocks of 228, 186 and 218 to his name in the last three Tests, Root’s arrival carried unreasonably high expectations. For once he fell well short.
Having barely mistimed a solitary sweep shot since the start of the year, he was undone by turn and saw a top edge loop obligingly to short fine-leg, giving Patel a memorable debut wicket.
Dan Lawrence lasted 52 balls for his nine. Beaten through the air and off the pitch, he shook his head as he paid with his off stump. England found a moment of respite in a 35-run stand between the Surrey duo of Ollie Pope and Foakes, who showed solid techniques before Pope was brilliantly caught down the leg-side by Pant. That gave Siraj a wicket with his first ball on home soil and ruined a burgeoning partnership.
While Foakes progressed to a solid 23, there were two more before tea. Moeen was caught at slip after an edge off Patel bounced kindly off Pant’s leg and Stone chipped Ashwin helplessly to short midwicket.
And the end England were dismissed at 134.
India missed Gill very early after starting their innings. Finally Pujara and Rohit are at the crease and India leads with 249 runs.
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