Moeen Ali gives England hope of ending series with a flourish after early scare against India

England recovered from a nervous start on the opening day of the final Test against India in Chennai with Moeen Ali and Joe Root leading the charge for the tourists.

Moeen (120no) took centre stage and struck his fifth Test century while Root hit an impressive 88. England had been reduced to 21-2 early on Friday morning but recovered well to end the day 284-4.

England are hoping to end with a flourish with India already holding an unassailable 3-0 series lead.

After losing Keaton Jennings in the sixth over off Ishant Sharma's delivery, captain Alastair Cook soon followed in the 13<sup>th with nemesis Ravindra Jadeja again doing the damage. The England captain has been dismissed five times by Jadeja in the series, departing for 10 when he edged to Virat Kohli at slip.

Things almost grew worse when Moeen was dropped on nought but KL Rahul found it too hot to handle at mid-wicket. That reprieve sparked a steady recovery led by the Worcestershire batsman who shared a stand of 146 with Root.

Root surged past the 2,500 run barrier in all formats for 2017 but just 12 runs short of another Test century, when his afternoon was brought to a close when he walked after a review. Umpire Simon Fry ruled he edged Jadeja's ball behind to Patel, prompting a furious response from the England batsman who stormed off the field unhappy with the verdict.

The introduction of Jonny Bairstow ensured England kept their concentration however and the keeper struck a fine 49 before his drive was pounced upon by Rahul. Ben Stokes joined Moeen, helping his side close out the day with hopes of ending on a bright note alive for now.