Ind vs Eng: Ravichandra Ashwin’s five-for rattles the three lions on Day 2

The Day 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium was the display of a typical Indian pitch. Starting the day at 300/6 India were bundled out for 329. Rishabh Pant at one end smashed big sixes that landed in the crowd but at the other end, no one could find the rhythm to match with the bounce that the deck offered.

Chennai man Ravichandran Ashwin claimed another five-wicket haul folding England for 134 runs. India notched up a colossal 195-run lead in the first innings. The biggest relief for the Indian torpedo was removing Joe Root for six runs; with this debutant Axar Patel registered his maiden Test wicket. Only Ben Foakes survived the heat of the Chennai pitch remaining unbeaten on 47 while no one could sway any noteworthy partnership with Foakes. Ashwin rattled the three lions who could not stand for a full day on the pitch. The brisk cleaning out of England’s top order exposed the lower order early in the post-lunch session. Half of the English batsmen went back to the dressing room with only 52 runs on the board.

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In the final session, India put their hands on the bat again. Rohit Sharma (25*) and Cheteshwar Pujara (7*) faced off the final few overs on the Day 2. At the stumps India reached 54/1, expanding the margin of their lead to 249.