He became the first visiting batsman to score a double hundred in Tests in India since New Zealand's Brendon McCullum in 2010.<\/p>\n
McCullum was also the last batsman to reach that mark against India, seven years ago in Wellington.<\/p>\n
Overall, Root is the third English batsman to score a double hundred at Chennai after Mike Gatting and Graeme Fowler.<\/p>\n
Overall, he is the fifth visiting batsman to achieve the feat at this ground, with Australians Dean Jones and Matthew Hayden the other two.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/twitter.com\/WisdenCricket\/status\/1357970552133193734?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n "It's a bit frightening when you're at the other end and he makes it look so easy," teammate Ben Stokes said after the day's play.<\/p>\n "At the moment he's in incredible form, and to play as well as he's done in conditions that are alien to English batsmen is phenomenal."<\/p>\n Root and Stokes added 124 runs for the fourth wicket and dominated the morning session.<\/p>\n Stokes scored his 23rd half-century and attacked the spinners.<\/p>\n He was out caught in the deep post lunch in a bid to further up the ante against Shahbaz Nadeem (2-167).<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNcricinfo\/status\/1357997959447801857?s=20<\/a>https:\/\/twitter.com\/cricketcomau\/status\/1357649569295728642?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n "Today, initially, it was a typical subcontinent wicket," Stokes said, "but Nadeem got a couple to kick out of the rough, and I said to myself, I'd rather get caught deep square taking the attack to him rather than get caught short leg being defensive."<\/p>\n Stokes scored 82 runs off 118 deliveries with 10 fours and three sixes.<\/p>\n England's batsmen frustrated Indian bowling throughout the day.<\/p>\n There was little help from the pitch, even with the odd low bounce.<\/p>\n However, through the last session, there was more spin extracted from the surface.<\/p>\n "There's obviously more in the wicket for the spinners than the seamers, and you've got to give a lot of credit to Ishant (Sharma) and (Jasprit) Bumrah for the way they run in. We'll need to do that as well," Stokes said.<\/p>\n Bumrah finished day two with 2-81, while Sharma took 2-52.<\/p>\n The latter took a brace off consecutive deliveries in the final session as England was pegged back.<\/p>\n Sharma made it a double blow when he bowled Jos Buttler (30) and Jofra Archer (0) off successive deliveries in the 170th over.<\/p>\n Jack Leach (6 not out) and Dom Bess (28 not out) then batted out the remaining session.<\/p>\n Rohit Sharma dropped Bess on 19 not out, off Washington Sundar (0-98).<\/p>\n Ravichandran Ashwin finished the day with 2-132.<\/p>\n India have bowled 19 no balls so far in this innings.<\/p>\n On day one, Root became the ninth batsmen to score a hundred in his 100th Test as England had reached 3-263 at stumps.<\/p>\n Dominic Sibley scored 87.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
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