Live Report – India vs England, 1st Test, Chennai, 2nd day

Welcome to our live report of the second day of the first India-England Test from Chennai. Join us for updates, analysis and colour. You can find our traditional ball-by-ball commentary here

*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local.

9.50am: Bumrah’s yorker

Ashwin and Bumrah bowling in tandem to Stokes and Root. Test cricket does OK, doesn’t it?

This has been an absorbing watch so far. Stokes has been dismissed by Ashwin seven times in Tests, more than by any other bowler, and has shown his attacking intent early on, dumping the 16th ball he faced down the ground over mid-off for six. But Ashwin responded by turning one past his outside edge two balls later, and will be happy to see Stokes try to take him on.

But the ball of the morning so far, without question, was Bumrah’s inch-perfect inswinging yorker to Stokes from round the wicket, which dipped and tailed in late at good pace. Stokes jammed the bat down and just about managed to get enough of an inside edge or toe-end to keep it out. The very next ball, Stokes guided a back-of-a-length delivery behind square, through the gully region, for four as if to insist to Bumrah that he was in control of the situation. Bumrah has bowled noticeably fuller this morning, perhaps realising that the pitch is unlikely to offer him much assistance, and fired in another yorker to Root in his next over.

9.15am: Root holds the key

England will resume on 263 for 3 this morning, facing a ball less than 10 overs old and with Ben Stokes new to the crease. Root set his sights on a team total in excess of 600 overnight, no doubt conscious of the fact that on England’s most recent visit to Chepauk, they posted 477 in the first innings and lost by an innings three days later.

Before play starts, there’s plenty of time to read or watch some of our best content from the first day, including #PoliteEnquiries above, Varun Shetty’s analysis on India’s day in the dirt, and George Dobell on live Test cricket’s return to free-to-air TV in the UK.

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