Ind vs Eng, 1st Test: Joe Root's Ton Helps England Score 263/3 (Day Report)

England captain Joe Root's third consecutive Test century (128 batting) and his 200-run stand for the third wicket with opener Dom Sibley helped the visitors reach 263 for three wickets at stumps on the first day of their first Test against India at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.

Brief scores: England 263/3 (Joe Root 128 batting, Dom Sibley 87; Jasprit Bumrah 2/40) vs India

Chennai Test: India vs England Day 1, Day Report

England won the toss and chose to bat at the Chepauk Stadium. India opted to play three spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar, and Shahbaz Nadeem along with two fast bowlers Ishant Sharma and Bumrah.

Burns and Sibley almost saw England through to lunch without losing a wicket in an attritional first session of the match. However, Ashwin got the breakthrough for the hosts as Burns mistimed a reverse sweep off the spinner. The ball lobed up into the air and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant completed a simple catch.

Jasprit Bumrah, who is playing his first Test at home, struck soon after to trap new batsman Dan Lawrence lbw for nought, forcing Root to walk in for the last over of the session. 

Joe Root and Sibley then ensured that England did not lose a wicket in the next session and almost repeated that in the final session of the day. 

Bumrah dismissed Sibley on 87 off the last ball of the day to help India end it on a positive note for themselves. However, Sibley and Root's partnership, coupled with a 63-run opening stand between the former and Rory Burns helped England take the upper hand on the first day of the Test.

Root walked back to the pavilion having scored his 20th Test century. He had scored 186 and 228 in England's last two Tests against Sri Lanka. The 30-year-old handled the spinners with aplomb as he swept -- and reverse swept -- to precision in his 197-ball knock. He struck 14 fours and a six.