England skipper Joe Root scored a brilliant ton on Friday to put the touring party in a commanding position on Day 1 against India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. It was also the right-hander's third ton in three consecutive Tests.
Root joined the elite list comprising Colin Cowdrey, Miandad, Greenidge, Stewart, Inzamam, Ponting, G Smith and Hashim Amla, who have scored a ton in their 100th Test.
Root, who became the 15th English cricketer to feature in a century of Tests, scored a bulk of runs with sweeps to reach his 20th century in the red-ball format. Root also scripted several records in the course of his knock. He became the second England player after ex-skipper Alastair Cook to hit fifty scores of fifty in Tests. Incidentally, on his Test debut against India in Nagpur back in 2012, Root had also scored a fifty.
Root has now scored a fifty in his first Test, 50th Test as well as in the 100th game. Ahead of the start of the day's play, he had received a cap from teammate Ben Stokes for becoming 15th player from England and the third youngest overall to play 100 Tests after Cook and Sachin Tendulkar.
Continuing his sublime form with the bat, Root, leading from the front, stitched a patient stand with Dominic Sibley to steady England's innings. Batting for almost 50 overs, the two steered England to 200-run total in the 74th over.
Earlier, England after opting to bat, scored 67 runs for the loss of two wickets in the morning session. Openers Rory Burns and Sibley put up 63 runs for the first wicket before the former threw his wicket while playing a reverse sweep off Ravi Ashwin's delivery. Daniel Lawrence, who came in next to bat, registered a duck as he became Jasprit Bumrah's first Test scalp in India.
