Chennai: Moeen Ali (120 batting, 222b, 12×4) scored his fifth Test century and the second of the series to put England in a position of strength at stumps on day one of the fifth and final Test against India here Friday at the Chepauk. On a pitch that offered the hosts’ spinners plenty of turn albeit slowly, the visitors finished on 284 for four after a shaky start.
Ali, who had a life when he was yet to open his account, KL Rahul mistiming his jump at short mid-wicket, and also survived a couple of reviews (20 and 83), started scratchily, but grew in confidence as the game progressed. At lunch he was seven not out after 44 deliveries, but then blossomed with some fluent drives in front of the wicket as well as some square of the wicket shots off the back-foot.
He was involved in two important partnerships, the first of 146 runs with England’s best and most fluent batsman Joe Root (88, 144b, 10×4) for the third wicket and followed it up with another of 86 runs for the fourth with Jonny Bairstow (49, 90b, 3×6). Both stands prevented England from losing their way after they were reduced to 21 for two during the first hour of the game.
India went into the game with two changes – Ishant Sharma replacing Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Amit Mishra coming in for Jayant Yadav, who was ruled out at the last moment with a hammy problem. Ishant (1/25) playing his first Test in a very long time, looked the most impressive among the two Indian pacers and he rightly deserved the wicket of Keaton Jennings whom he had caught behind by what players call the ‘sucker ball’. He kept Jennings quiet for seven deliveries and then bowled that wide delivery wide outside the off-stump, inviting the batsman for a drive. Jennings fell for the trap and could just nick to Parthiv Patel behind the stumps.
It seems that England skipper Alastair Cook has become the ‘bunny’ for Ravindra Jadeja (3/73) in the series. The left-arm spinner, brought into the attack early in the game in the ninth over, had Cook surviving a leg before appeal. But in his third over, Jadeja tossed up one a little slowly and Cook driving without getting to the pitch of the ball could only manage to edge it his counterpart Virat Kohli in the slips, who took a good catch.
Then came the England revival as Root and Ali took the attack to the Indian spinners. Root’s driving was particularly eye-pleasing, sublime yet powerful with the ball hitting the fence on a regular basis. He swept homeboy Ravi Ashwin (0/76) off his length and also showed some deft touches with dabs behind the wickets. He fell trying to sweep Jadeja with the review confirming that he had under-edged to the keeper while trying to sweep – a decision to which Root vehemently disagreed.
In strode Bairstow, and like the way he has done so far in the series, looked at ease against the spinners. He danced down the track to hit both Ashwin and Jadeja for sixes. But, just when he looked like seeing England through without further loss, he failed to keep a drive down and holed out to short extra-cover.
Ali meanwhile had completed his ton, stepping out to hit Mishra inside out over cover to move from 95 to 99. Next ball, a single to point saw him raising his bat in delight. It was a knock certainly to be please about.
Agencies
