Chennai, India
Opener Rohit displayed some sparkling strokeplay to help the hosts to 300-6 on an absorbing, entertaining and occasionally bizarre day in Chennai.
After a magnificent victory in the first Test, England suffered the disadvantage of losing the toss and are in line to bat last on a dusty pitch already showing sharp turn and some uneven bounce.
Impressive pace bowler Olly Stone had Shubnam Gill lbw with the ninth ball of the day and India were 86-3 when Moeen Ali bowled a stunned Virat Kohli for a duck.
But Rohit was joined by Ajinkya Rahane, who made a solid 67, for a stand of of 162 that was ended when Rohit top-edged spinner Jack Leach to deep square leg. That sparked a fightback that England’s perseverance deserved – the tourists took three wickets for 36 runs in the final session.
However, at some point they will be faced with the task of batting themselves into this match against a trio of India spinners that will be afforded plenty of assistance.
Mask-wearing fans poured into Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium for the second Test against England on Saturday, as cricket-crazy India welcomed live crowds for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic.
As many as 15,000 fans from India’s famously noisy and vibrant fanbase — the largest in the world — will be allowed to watch each of the Test’s five days in the 50,000 capacity ground.
Officials are enforcing mandatory mask-wearing, social distancing and temperature checks at entry points.
India has been one of the world’s most heavily-hit countries with more than 150,000 Covid-related deaths and the second-highest cases in the world, but fatalities and infections have slowed sharply and most activity is returning to normal.—APP
