As it happened - India vs England, 2nd Test, Chennai, 1st day

Welcome to day one of our live report of the second India-England Test from Chennai. Join us for updates, analysis and colour. You can find our traditional ball-by-ball commentary here

*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local

Stumps - India 300 for 6 (Rohit Sharma 161, Rahane 67) vs England

A majestic innings in capricious conditions from India opener Rohit Sharma gave the hosts a strong platform at the outset of the second Chennai Test. Rohit counterattacked during a harum-scarum morning session and then settled in to grind England into the dry, cracked clay of the MA Chidambaram Stadium, converting his fourth Test hundred as an opener into a dominant 161.

After Virat Kohli had voiced his dissatisfaction with the pitch produced at Chepauk for the first Test against England, it was no surprise to see the ball turn and spit for the spinners on day one of the rematch. Kohli himself was done in by it, bowled for a fifth-ball duck by the returning Moeen Ali before lunch. But that was the high point of the day for Moeen and England, as Rohit and Ajinkya Rahane produced a bustling partnership that threatened to be decisive even at such an early stage.

England claimed three early wickets - including one for Olly Stone with his third ball on only his second Test appearance - but were effectively shut out by Rohit and Rahane during the afternoon session, despite regular half-chances coming and going. Again Joe Root was left to rue a lack of control from his spinners: Jack Leach was the more consistent, asking questions throughout the day, while Moeen went at more than four an over, despite picking up the wickets of Kohli and Rahane.

Rohit rode his luck at times, gloving Leach short of slip on 41 and enduring some nervy moments against Moeen in the 90s, but he picked his moments to attack with judicious care to ensure that India would not squander their advantage after winning the toss. He skipped along briskly during the early exchanges, scoring 80 from 78 balls before lunch, and kept England toiling long into the day. Such was his dominance that he was visibly frustrated after slog-sweeping Leach to deep backward square leg, having scored almost exactly two-thirds of his side's 248 for 4.

More to follow

4.45pm: England inroads

The debate about the umpiring in this Test will doubtless rumble on, with Rishabh Pant surviving on review after being given out caught behind, immediately after hitting Moeen Ali for a couple more boundaries. But England are quietly making inroads with the old ball, with Joe Root's round-arm offbreaks accounting for R Ashwin, caught at short leg, leaving India six down. This should still be a very handy first-innings score on a pitch that has offered turn for the spinners throughout, and the game is moving forward at some pace.

Enjoy this while you can, it is going to be over inside three days. #INDvENG

— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) February 13, 2021

4.35pm: Pant vs Leach - Round II

Here we go again! Jack Leach probably isn't ever going to earn an IPL contract, but he's being given another taste of what it's like to be tonked around a stadium - this time complete with baying Indian crowd. Having just walked out, and seeing a couple from offspinner Moeen Ali fizz, Rishabh Pant decided to, well, just play his natural game, really. His first ball from Leach was short and cut for four, and then his fifth disappeared over long-on. This game is moving on!

4.30pm: Vote! Vote! Vote!

4.15pm: DRS fail

England have their fifth wicket of the day, but not after a moment of umpiring controversy. The incident came in the 75th over, with Ajinkya Rahane on 66, as England reviewed for a catch at short leg. But the third umpire, Anil Chaudhary, did not wind the replay through fully after using the technology to determine there had been no inside edge - meaning that a deflection off the glove as the ball ballooned up to Ollie Pope was not checked for. Joe Root could be seen gesturing to Virender Sharma that England felt it had come off the glove after hitting the pad and sure enough, after England's review had been struck down and Rahane allowed to continue, the host broadcaster then showed a replay that confirmed he should have been given out. A few balls later, Rahane was going, bowled sweeping at Moeen, and England then had their review reinstated... but that might not be the last we hear of it.

3rd (class) umpire?

— George Dobell (@GeorgeDobell1) February 13, 2021

3.55pm: Rohit holes out

A wicket! A wicket had fallen on this complete minefield road! England thought they might have had Rohit in Leach's previous over, when a smart bit of work from Ben Foakes saw the back foot balanced precariously on the crease (or just over, in the view of third umpire, Anil Chaudhary). But there's no doubt this time, as a slog-sweep picks out deep backward square. Rohit signals his frustration, swishing his bat and throwing back his head - he was having fun out there. Leach breaks the partnership at 162, but India still well placed.

3.35pm: 150 for Rohit

Who's the daddy? On this day, on this pitch, no doubt that it's India's opener. This is Rohit's fourth Test score above 150 - and he's only once been dismissed for fewer after reaching three figures. England aren't all that far from the second new ball, but they are flagging in the afternoon heat here.

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Is this Chennai pitch up to Test standards?

On the evidence of session one, Sanjay Manjrekar and Ian Bell don't think so

3.30pm: In the dirt

Without trying to state the obvious, England need a wicket. Urgently.#INDvENG

— Ian Bell (@Ian_Bell) February 13, 2021

Belly's not wrong... This stand is swelling towards the 150 mark, and Joe Root has brought himself on to bowl as the Chennai crowd, who love their cinema, settle in for the Roh-Rah matinee.

3.15pm: India's approach on a turner

Psst. Two of ESPNcricinfo's sharpest minds, Nagraj Gollapudi and Shiva Jayaraman, are having a chat about this Rohit-Rahane partnership down in the stats bunker. Come on, let's listen in...

Nagraj: The bounce is still very good. I was told it would be firm in the centre and dust will be on the fuller length. Will become difficult from the third session, but have enjoyed the way both Rohit and Rahane have mostly done well by stepping out and playing off back foot - something so key to playing spin on such pitches, other than sweeping

Shiva: Yeah, the head has to go all over the place for a batsman to play sweep IMHO. You have to gauge the dip while the head is going down, which is more difficult; not a percentage shot in my opinion, especially for tall batsmen. That's why Root playing it so well is amazing.

Nagraj: True. But what Root had in his favour in the first two days of the first Test was the ball was not spinning on a flat surface, so unless the spinner was doing it in the air, which barring Ashwin to an extent, Nadeem couldn't. So Root just had to pick the right line, and sweep. The sweep to me has always been to take the rough out of the equation, so it is a weapon used judiciously.

Shiva: True. But those with dip are harder to sweep I feel. Length is very tough to judge.

Nagraj: Yes, definitely, especially on this pitch. Like the one Rohit tried in the 90s. He tried paddling, but that was premeditated.

Shiva: Take Jadeja for example - bowl arrows, doesn't get dip. He must be easier to sweep, as against Leach.

Nagraj: Yes, correct. You can verify that with numbers.

Shiva: Two wickets at 72.00 for Jadeja against batsman sweeping, according to ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball data; Leach has 10 at 27.40.

Nagraj: Rahane has played a few sweeps - how many compared to Rohit?

Shiva: Rahane: four sweeps, three singles today. Rohit has five fours and 24 runs from 12 sweep shots.

Nagraj: So while Rahane has used it to rotate strike, Rohit, at least early on, used it as an attacking shot. In fact, the way Kohli dealt with the drift from Moeen and the way Rohit swept or charged the spinners portrays when the batsman struggles and how he can be in command.

Shiva: You thought it drifted that much? Again, I feel that the spectacle of the dismissal and the quality of batsman is playing on our mind. Bess' was a better ball first Test. Dipped a whole lot more, whereas, Kohli would've hit the ball here if it hadn't spun that much.

Nagraj: Yes, but this was well flighted, outside off, and had drift, causing Kohli to move into play. But he messed it up as he is not usually a good player of spin from the crease, for me.

Shiva: Kohli doesn't like to leave the crease.

Nagraj: Yes, he is not confident. And that is because he has not played domestic cricket so much.

Shiva: Correct.

Nagraj: Which both Rohit and Rahane have and understand better what works. Hence Kohli never learned the sweep, does not come naturally and struggles to read spin.

2.58pm: Half-century for Rahane

Clipped through mid-on, hustle the one, and that's Ajinkya Rahane's half-century - a fine, fighting knock in tough conditions, after coming into the match with a few question marks over his batting. It's the first time he's reached 50 since that pivotal innings at the MCG in December, and only his second half-century in 15 Test innings going back to 2019. That over from Moeen demonstrated some of the difficulties he had had to negotiate, with one ball stopping as he flicked towards midwicket and another ripping back from a length past an attempted cut. But he has kept his composure, reset after every testing moment, and carried the fight for India.

2.35pm: Spotlight on Moeen

He arguably bowled the ball of the day (certainly if measured by its outcome) to dismiss Virat Kohli during the morning session, but it's been a bit of a mixed bag from Moeen Ali so far on his Test comeback. With Moeen beginning a new spell after tea from the Anna Pavilion End, as England search for a way of separating this India pair, here's George Dobell on how his day has gone:

You had to laugh when Moeen Ali started with a full-toss. Brought in to replace Dom Bess, who bowled a truckload of them in the first Test, Moeen's first ball continued an unwelcome trend among England's offspinners.

He settled in pretty quickly after that, though. He's certainly gaining some drift and dip, which means he's threatening both sides of the bat. And the ball which dismissed Virat, drawing him wide and turning sharply to beat the drive, was a thing of beauty. It wasn't just the batsman who couldn't believe what had happened: the umpire called for a review.

In a perfect world, he would have liked to string a few maidens together; a run rate of 4.66 an over in what may be a low scoring game is a worry. But while there have been an annoying couple of short balls in there, which have been cut away comfortably, the majority of that run rate is due to an outstanding innings from Rohit Sharma. The sweeps, the six over long-off… that's just good batting. You wonder if we've already seen the defining innings of this match.

So, in an ideal world, England would have liked their offspinner to provide more control. But when your offspinner hasn't played a first-class game for five-months… well, you probably have to be a bit realistic with your expectations. Decent start, I think.

2.10pm: Tea

India 189 for 3 (Rohit 132*, Rahane 36*) vs England
Rohit Sharma's unbeaten hundred led India towards a position of strength at tea on the first day in Chennai. After signs that the Chepauk track would deteriorate much more quickly than in the first Test, Rohit and Ajinkya Rahane played with composure, and a little luck, to take the hosts through a wicketless session and keep England at bay.

Having scored at more than a run a ball during the morning session, Rohit settled down - as did the pitch - to bring up his seventh Test hundred shortly after the midpoint of the day, from 130 balls. There were a couple of nervous moments against Moeen Ali in the 90s, but he eventually got to the landmark with a paddled sweep, a shot which was a feature of his innings, and continued to contribute more than two-third of India's runs.

Joe Root rotated his bowlers in search of a breakthrough but, with turn still on offer, only Leach came close to adding to the three wickets England claimed during the morning. He was able to unsettle Rohit on occasion and found Rahane's outside edge in the over before tea only for the ball to die in front of slip.

2pm: India take charge

Whether it's the pitch being brought heel by Rohit and Rahane, or the older, softer ball making life more comfortable, India are cruising towards the tea break. Having replaced Dom Bess in order to bring more experience and control to England's spin-bowling department, Moeen Ali has continued to struggle for consistency, despite a switch of ends, going at more than four-and-half an over. Rohit has used the sweep - a shot India barely played in the first Test - judiciously against him, scoring 49 off 51 balls faced, while Rahane has been largely content to work singles. Leach has continued to ask questions, but Rohit cut him for a couple to bring up the 100 stand with 10 minutes to go until tea.

1.40pm: Rohit's all-round game

Shiva Jayaraman writes: The likes of Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, David Warner and Kane Williamson have built a reputation of being all-format batsmen in the last few years. While Kohli and Azam rank among the ICC's top ten batsmen in all three formats, Warner and Williamson currently rank among the top ten in Tests and ODIs. Rohit Sharma ranks in the top ten in only ODIs. He ranks outside the top 20 in Tests and is 14th in T20Is.

However, he has numbers to back his claim to be counted amongst the elite all-format batsmen based on his recent performance. This is Sharma's 19th hundred in 106 innings in international cricket since 2018. No other batsman has hit more hundreds in that period and none of them has got multiple hundreds in all three formats like he has.

Sharma has made 19 hundreds in 106 innings in international cricket since 2018 (four Test centuries in 21 innings, 13 in 49 innings in ODIs and two in 36 T20I innings). In comparison Kohli has 18 hundreds in 120 international innings (no hundreds in T20Is), and Azam ten in 103 innings (no hundreds in T20Is) during this period. Warner is the only one among the four mentioned above to hit a century in all three formats like Sharma since 2018.

1.30pm: Pitch forks out?

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Ian Bell: Moeen Ali the better spinner between him and Dom Bess

Ian Bell and Sanjay Manjrekar on Moeen Ali's inclusion in the second India vs England Test in Chennai

The action has quietened down since lunch, but our experts were pretty damning after their first look at the surface for the second Test in Chennai.

Sanjay Manjrekar: "When you have the pitch exploding in the first of 25-30 minutes of the Test match, you've got to say that's a very, very poor pitch, it's substandard. If you want Test-standard performances then you've got to have Test-standard pitches as well. This is by no stretch of the imagination anywhere close to being a Test pitch."

Ian Bell: "I have some sympathy in terms of [limited preparation] but I agree you don't want to see the ball turning and bouncing like it has done so far. It doesn't look to me as if this could go five days, if the course of the action goes on the same in the next session and the ones to follow today. Let's see how both teams bat on it, but at the moment it doesn't look to be a great wicket."