England were heading for seemingly inevitable defeat in the second Test against India after being outplayed with bat and ball in turning conditions on the second day in Chennai.
After dismissing the hosts for 329 in the first hour Joe Root’s side were taken down for just 134, their lowest ever first-innings score in India.
Only Ben Foakes was able to negotiate fiendishly difficult conditions against a quality attack led by the relentless Ravichandran Ashwin, with his 42 not out ensuring England could not be asked to follow-on.
But a 195-run lead placed all the cards in India’s favour and they finished 249 in front after reaching stumps on 54 for one. The worthiness of the pitch continues to generate plenty of heat among fans and pundits, but after six sessions it was beyond argument that the hosts had used it more productively.
Tweet of the day
India should be docked WTC points for this pitch. It’s a sandpit. Makes batting a lottery . #INDvsENG
— simon hughes (@theanalyst) February 14, 2021
‘The Analyst’ Simon Hughes comes in hard in his assessment of the playing surface, going so far as to call for a points penalty in the World Test Championship table.
Stokes’ nine lives
A game of two halves for Foakes
