ENGLAND dominated day 1 of the first test against India as Joe Root marked his 100th Test with a commanding century in Chennai.
The England captain hit a brilliant 128 not out and led his side to 263-3 at the close.
Root shared a superb stand of 200 with opener Dom Sibley, who ground out 87 from 286 balls before falling in the last over of the day.
The late wicket will act as a boost for the hosts but the partnership helped England recover from 63-2, after the early dismissals of Rory Burns for 33 and Dan Lawrence for a duck on the stroke of lunch.
Root and Sibley had to dig in after a strong spell of bowling in the afternoon session before wearing them down with a masterclass of batting in subcontinental conditions.
Root, who hit 228 and 186 against Sri Lanka last month, became the ninth player to mark his 100th Test with a century.
It was disappointing news for Worcestershire's Moeen Ali in the build up to day 1, as the England coaches favoured spinner Dom Bess over him in the side.
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