India vs England, 2nd Test: Rohit Sharma's 161, Rahane-Pant fifties propel hosts to 329 on tough Chepauk track

Chennai, February 14: 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 on day two of the second Test match against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday (February 14).

India lost their four wickets within 38 minutes in the morning session and added just 29 runs on the board as they were bundled out for 329 in their first innings after captain Virat Kohli elected to bat.

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 maximum 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.

India vs England, 2nd Test: Shane Warne predicts visitors to be bundled out for 157 in first innings

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.

India vs England 2nd Test: Rohit Sharma reveals art behind playing Moeen & co from rough

Earlier on day one, Rohit Sharma scored an imperious 161 on a challenging Chepauk track, helping India seize the initiative with a solid opening day score of 300 for 6.

Under fire India vice-captain, Ajinkya Rahane looked equally attractive during his knock of 67 off 149 balls and the two Mumbaikars added 162 runs for the fourth wicket, making it worth the effort for the 15,000 who flocked the Chepauk as Indian cricket welcomed its fans back in the stadium amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

A score of 350 plus in the first innings will be equivalent to 550 plus on any other track and Rishabh Pant's (33 batting) dangerous presence could also take India well beyond the magic figure on this track. At stumps, he had debutant Axar Patel (5) for company.

Rohit had scored six Test hundreds prior to this knock but he will be the first to admit that in terms of conditions on offer and the quality of attack he faced, the seventh one would be at the top of the list.

On a hot Saturday, Rohit did two things at one go. Firstly, he put India in a commanding position on a track which was way more difficult for batting than he made it look with 18 fours and two sixes in his 231-ball knock.

Secondly, he put all the naysayers in their place by scoring runs when it mattered the most. The team is aiming for a comeback after a crushing 227-run loss in the first Test.

Joe Root was marvellous with his sweep shot during the first Test but Rohit was simply magnificent with his execution on a doubly difficult track on which he gave England spinner Moeen Ali (26-3-112-3) a lesson in controlled aggression.

The way Rohit put a big front-foot stride outside the off-stump to sweep deliveries off both Moeen and Jack Leach (26-2-78-2) will not be forgotten by all who were fortunate to witness the innings.

Knowing fully well that the track would start crumbling with the passage of play, Rohit attacked at the first go, picking 80 runs in the first session, something that will perhaps play the biggest role in the final context of the game.

It started with a cover drive off Stuart Broad and then there was a pulled six over mid-wicket off Ben Stokes.

While skipper Virat Kohli (0) was done in by a classical off-spinner's delivery from Moeen -- flighted outside the off-stump and enticing him to go for a cover drive only to find his defence breached.

If Rohit played those sweeps in a regal manner, Rahane was no less classy in his drives -- the front and back-foot punches off the pacers and those lovely cut shots off the spinners were delightful to watch.

Call it irony, Rahane chose a wrong delivery from Moeen for playing the sweep and was bowled in the process.

He hit nine boundaries in a half-century that came after a barren run of seven innings. This was after he survived an umpiring howler from Anil Chaudhary.

But then, he was destined to be in Rohit's shadow on a day when determination became his primary capital.

"It is a difficult track where you don't know whether to come forward or remain on the back-foot," Sunil Gavaskar, who knows more than a thing or two about batting on turners, said on air.

Leach was introduced in the ninth over and Rohit perhaps remembered his second innings dismissal in the opening Test.

He knew that Leach's main weapon was extra bounce with a slight turn. He met Leach's deliveries by putting the front leg across the off-stump.

This negated any chance of his off-stump getting exposed and he also couldn't be adjudged leg before.

Root had got Moeen for this match in place of Dom Bess, primarily because of the prodigious turn that is expected to be on offer.

However, the senior-most spinner made a cardinal mistake that happens out of excitement for all tweakers when they see cracks. They try to go for an extra turn rather than hitting one spot and letting the pitch do the rest. It only helped a player like Rohit dispatch him with the turn.

It was only fitting that he reached his three-figure mark with a sweep that got him two runs and also perished when he top-edged playing the same shot.