The hot coals worked their magic on the pitch, all the extra work the groundsmen did meant the match started on time and after losing the toss for the fourth Test in five, the India bowlers started day one of the fifth Test match on a sunny Chennai morning quite well, before Joe Root and Moeen Ali dampened the spirits of the home team.
With the Cyclone Vardah threatening to hamper the fifth Test match, it was great testament to the organisers that we had the match starting on time and a dry-looking, flat pitch that had Alastair Cook, without any hesitation, choosing to bat first after calling right at the toss.
Even after losing the toss, India had England at 21/2, but from there Root and Moeen came together for a big partnership, and while Root failed to get to a hundred yet again, Moeen, who started off shaky before finding his batting rhythm, made sure he completed his second century of the series to put England in the driver's seat at stumps on day one, with hometown boy R Ashwin, despite bowling really well on a flat pitch, going wicketless on the opening day.
Newly-married Ishant Sharma, called in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Umesh Yadav started off well with the new ball, giving nothing away and making the England openers Cook and Keaton Jennings earn their runs.
Jennings took 15 balls to get off the mark, but that single was all that he would score, with Ishant, who gave away just one run in his first spell of five overs, setting up the left-hander quite nicely. After a short ball to start the over, the India pacer bowled a few back-of-a-length deliveries before producing the carrot ball – full and wide – which Jennings (1, 17b) went for and found a healthy outside edge through to Parthiv Patel, the wicketkeeper – after a century in his first Test match innings, Jennings has had a golden duck and a 1, which just goes to show what a great leveller Test cricket is.
With Cook (10, 38b, 1x4) at the crease, Ravindra Jadeja was brought on early and the left-armer would dismiss the England captain for the fifth time in the series soon enough. This time it was by drawing the batsmen forward and finding the outside edge with Virat Kohli, at first slip, completing his 50th catch in Test cricket.
Joe Root could have been dismissed as well, twice in the same over of Umesh, the only Yadav playing in this Test match after a hamstring niggle ruled Jayant out. One outside edge flew between first slip and third slip and an appeal for lbw was turned down by the umpire, with the tracker showing the ball would have hit the top of the stumps – with the umpire's call, though, India would not have been successful, had they reviewed.
Moeen Ali also had a life when KL Rahul failed to time his jump correctly to pouch a catch at midwicket, and while R Ashwin got a fair bit of turn, albeit slow turn, the two batsmen stayed together till lunch to ensure not too much damage was done in the first session.
Plenty of damage came about in the second session, however, from the England batsmen's willow. There was a clear change in intent post lunch, with Root and Moeen looking for the boundaries to unsettle the Indian spinners.
It worked too, as runs flowed quite easily in the first hour, forcing Virat Kohli to make bowling changes. The India captain was also not helped by the fact that Amit Mishra brought his poor form from Rajkot into this Chennai match as well. Only in the team due to Jayant's injury, this was an opportunity for Mishra to impress, but the leg-spinner disappointed, failing to find the right line, length or pace to bowl on this wicket.
Ashwin and Jadeja were good but with the moisture going out of the pitch, Root and Moeen looked quite comfortable.
India broke the 146-run partnership a little before tea, with Kohli's decision to back his gut and go for a review working wonders. Root, who had swept quite well in his splendid innings, went for another one of those against Jadeja. The ball was too full for the shot and it went under his bat, with Kohli and Jadeja hearing some noise as the ball passed through. Parthiv Patel was not convinced, but Kohli was and after the Ultraedge showed a good spike, Root (88, 144b, 10x4) was given out, with the England batsmen, out for another score short of a century, far from happy.
Moeen, however, stayed on and with Jonny Bairstow, who has been in good form in this series, in the middle, England targeted another big partnership in the final session, especially with the wicket flattening out considerably – and that is what they got.
Bairstow took the attack to the spinners, Moeen continued his merry way and without too much fuss the pair added 86 runs together. India and Kohli were left scratching their heads trying to break the partnership, with the control factor also not quite working their way.
However, Kohli persisted with Jadeja and the left-armer induced a false stroke from Bairstow, who chipped a drive to KL Rahul at short extra cover. Bairstow (49, 90b, 3x6) was livid at throwing his wicket away, but Moeen, at the other end, stayed calm, got to his fifth Test match hundred with a cover drive for a boundary and a quick single to the offside and made sure he would be batting on day two.
With Ben Stokes sound in defence, even the new ball, taken midway through the 86th over, could provide little for India as England went into the dressing room the much more satisfied team.
Scores: First innings: England: 284/4 in 90 overs.
First session: 68/2 in 29 overs.
Second session: 114/1 in 31 overs.
Third session: 102/1 in 20 overs.
Batting in the middle: Moeen Ali (120, 222b, 12x4) and Ben Stokes (5, 29b).
Bowling: First innings: India: Umesh Yadav 12-1-44-0; Ishant Sharma 12-5-25-1; Ravindra Jadeja 28-3-73-3; R Ashwin 24-1-76-0; Amit Mishra 13-1-52-0.
Fall of wickets: First innings: England: 7/1, Keaton Jennings (5.2 overs); 21/2, Alastair Cook (12.4 overs); 167/3, Joe Root (54.3 overs); 253/4, Jonny Bairstow (81 overs).
