By: Tarish Bhatt
Moeen Ali led England’s charge. He struck an unbeaten hundred on Day 1 of the 5th Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The southpaw helped the visitors in posting 284/4 at stumps, with Ben Stokes at the other end.
The day witness some solid batting performance from the England team. Joe Root and Ali looked terrific throughout the day. They kept the Indian spinners at bay, something they haven’t done in the tour so far.
Ravindra Jadeja was India’s pick of the bowlers. He finished with three wickets, while Ishant Sharma took one.
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The highest partnership of the day happened between Root (88) and Ali, who added 146 runs for the wicket. That was the time when England needed to consolidate, and the duo did exactly that, and played a solid innings.
After Root’s departure, Ali made a crucial 86-run partnership with Jonny Bairstow (49).
“A tacky surface, one of those wickets where you never quite felt in,” Root said. “As soon as you get there, you switch on mentally. Looking to score all the time, we did that well, good omen going into tomorrow.”
