India vs England: Analysis: How did Joe Root's men overpower Virat Kohli's bunch in the first Test at Chennai

England beat India by 227 runs at the MA Chidambaram stadium.

Chennai, February 9: England stunned India by 227 runs in the first Test at the MA Chidambaram stadium on Tuesday (February 9) to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series. India is a near invincible force in home conditions, and their recent 2-1 win over Australia too might have added to their confidence.

But since winning the toss, England never let the advantage slip away either with bat or ball and even a modest second innings when they were bundled out for 178 could not stymy their progress. Here's a close look at the reasons behind England's masterly win.

1. Joe Root's immense presence

The England skipper was appearing in his 100th Test and he embellished that momentous occasion with a double hundred, first batsman to do so. Root's exceptional 218 led England to a massive 578 in the in their first dig. Once England set that total, it was clear that India will have to bat out of their skin to save the Test on a pitch that unravelled as the match progressed. The way Root nullified India spinners with sweep shot was nothing less than extraordinary.

2. Dom Bess finds his range

In general, the spinners from visiting teams struggle to make an impact in India barring on a few occasions. Even some great spinners like Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne had struggled against Indian batsmen in the past. But off-spinner Bess came up with critical blows as he snaffled Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant at various stages of the match to hamper India's effort to close the gap with India. Bess' four-wicket haul helped England rattle up a huge 241-run lead which more than negated for England's 178 in the second innings. R Ashwin's six-wicket haul was India's bright spot in England's second innings but the visitors eked out a big 400+ lead to put pressure on India.

3. Anderson & Leach show

The King of Swing James Anderson have given several difficult moments for India in the past at home and abroad, and the Lancastrian is the highest wicket-taker against India in Tests. Jimmy returned to haunt India one more time at the Chepauk as he packed off a settled Shubman Gill and new batsman Ajinkya Rahane in the same over and later jettisoned Pant to rip the heart out of India's chase. It was a fascinating sight of a high-calibre pacer operating at the height of his prowess.

Supporting him was left-arm spinner Jack Leach, who evicted Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara for not many to ensure that India would not embark on anotber Gabba-esque match at the Chidambaram stadium.

4. Rohit Sharma's lean run

The return of Rohit Sharma was a much-awaited episode since the tour of Australia after he missed the initial part with a niggle. But the opener has not fired as desired since his comeback at Sydney scoring 52, 26, 7, 44, 12 and 6. If India are to challenge England more meaningfully, India will require some big efforts from Rohit as it is not feasible to open the middle-order early to bowlers like Anderson and Jofra Archer.