Day 1 of India vs England at Chennai ended with a score of 263/3. Captain Joe Root who plays his 100th Test match is still at the pitch, playing an eye-catching innings of 128*. Dominic Sibley got out on the very last ball of the Day. After battling it out throughout the Day’s play, he fell for a fast yorker by Jasprit Bumrah. He played for full three sessions scoring 87 off 286 balls, with 12 fours. Michael Vaughan in a chat with Harsha Bhogale for ‘Cricbuzz’ on Friday, said that ‘England have found their Pujara’ in the form of Dominic Sibley. He explained why Sibley’s role in the innings was extremely important.
Vaughan said: “Sibley creates a certain calmness on the batting crease which also allows Joe Root to play his natural game and score runs.” The 25-year old batsman from Surrey batted like a warrior for the most part of the Day. Towards the end of the first session and the beginning of the second on Day 1, England were struggling as Indian bowlers managed to create some pressure with the ball. But Sibley did not look like he was getting out any time soon. His innings deserved a recognition and needs to be upheld and he has his fundamentals of Test cricket in the right place. Vaughan also said that England were trying too hard three-four years back and played Test cricket like an ODI match which resulted in quick wickets and poor results for England, but since the last 18 months, under Root, the English team looks calm and out there with a purpose.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yes Sibbers! 💪 <br><br>Scorecard: <a href="https://news.abplive.com/sports/cricket/joe-root-and-dominic-sibley-break-indian-bowlers-backs-india-fail-to-pick-a-single-wicket-for-64-overs-what-went-wrong-1442718">https://t.co/gEBlUSOuYe</a><a >#INDvENG</a> <a >pic.twitter.com/bKobHASKMg</a></p>— England Cricket (@englandcricket) <a >February 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Harsha Bhogale also reiterated Vaughan’s statements and said: “I was just going to call him Dominic Pujara because of the way he batted.” He also said that Sibley looks like someone who would be fascinated by watching Cheteshwar Pujara play. Sibley’s innings made the English 1st Innings look stable and put them in the commanding position at lease on Day 1.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Re-live a magical day. Take a bow, <a >@root66</a> 💯💯</p>— England Cricket (@englandcricket) <a >February 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The pitch was ‘like a road’, ‘a flat track with very little spin and almost no swing’, it was a paradise for batsmen, Vaughan said as he thanked the Chepauk’s groundsmen for ‘preparing a road’. The wicket literally had nothing in it for the fielding side as the Indian bowlers failed to pick up a single wicket for 64 overs. Harsha Bhogale said: “Pitch was like a mild mushroom risotto which is Michael Vaughan’s favourite”
Well, we will have to wait and see how this mild mushroom risotto performs on the Day 2.