In-form captain Joe Root stamped his class at the Chepauk as he hit his second double hundred in three matches to help England take control of the opening Test in the second session of Day 2 against India in Chennai.
Root, who scored 228 and 186 in his previous two Tests in Sri Lanka, cashed in on the purple patch to score his fifth Test double hundred in his 100th Test. Root hit 19 fours and two sixes in his well-composed double century off 341 balls. Root also surpassed Inzamam ul Haq’s 184 to notch the highest score by a player in his 100th Test.
Milestone man Root has overcome his ‘lean’ patch and announced his resurgence in style with three back to back daddy hundreds in the Asian sub-continent. Resuming the day on 128, Root looked typically solid against an Indian attack which could only manage a couple of half-hearted lbw appeals against him. Root was seen opting for the sweep shot to negate whatever turn the pitch offered.
Resuming the day on 263 for 3, Root and Stokes both looked typically solid against India to take England to a commanding 355 for 3 at lunch. Stokes had stitched a 124-run stand for the 3rd wicket with his skipper Joe Root before getting dismissed on 82.
