Chennai, February 14: Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed opener Dominic Sibley and top-order batsman, Dan Lawrance, on the final ball before the lunch break as England found themselves reeling at 39/4 at lunch break on day two of second Test at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday (February 14).
Having been restricted to 329 in the first innings, Indians started the proceedings with the ball on a dominant note as pacer Ishant Sharma dismissed Rory Burns for nought on the third delivery of the innings. The tourists, just like hosts, lost their first wicket without opening their account.
Later, Ravichandran Ashwin opener Dominic Sibley for 12 as Virat Kohli caught him at leg slip after the ball hit the opposite side of his end. Kohli had to review it as the umpire turned down their appeal but the batsman made the descent towards the pavilion soon after the opposition went upstairs.
Debutant Axar Patel later gave England their biggest blow when he dismissed the opposition skipper Joe Root for 6. The right-handed batsman who scored a plethora of runs while sweeping in the previous game paid the price as the ball top-edged an Ashwin pouched him comfortably at mid-wicket.
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Lawrence - who looked pretty composed as he faced 50-plus balls - on the final ball before the end of the morning session as he was caught at forward short-leg by Shubman Gill off Ashwin. England's scorecard read 39/4 in 18 overs and trailed India by 290 runs.
Earlier in the day, Rishabh Pant continued to impress with his batting prowess as he notched up his career's sixth half-century before he ran short of partners as India posted 329 in the first innings. The Indians lost their remaining four wickets on day two within 38 minutes of the resumption of day's play and added just 29 runs to their overnight total of 300 for 6.
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Axar Patel - the overnight batsman - was the first to perish as he was stumped for 5 by Ben Foakes off Moeen Ali. The debutant failed to add any run to his overnight total as Indians lost their first wicket on day two. Later, Ishant Sharma (0) was also dismissed by Ali as he generated a top-edge.
Kuldeep Yadav (0) showed some resistance against English bowlers as he faced 15 deliveries but was dismissed caught behind by Foakes soon after Joe Root introduced Olly Stone into the attack. Mohammed Siraj walked into the middle and opened his account with a boundary over deep point but was dismissed on the very next delivery. The tourists thus restricted hosts to 329 in 95.5 overs after bowling 7.5 overs on day two.
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Pant remained unbeaten at 58* as the explosive left-handed batsman continued playing his natural game. The southpaw hammered Joe Root for a biggie and later hammered Moeen Ali for a maximum to clear his intentions. He has played four Tests in India so far and smashed a fifty in every game.