Lessons of Chennai must be learned

England captain Joe Root said playing on Chennai’s spinfriendly pitch was an education for his team after India thumped them by 317 runs inside four days in the second Test on Tuesday.

England managed 134 and 164 on a track where the ball turned from day one and kicked up dust on landing, prompting debate on the suitability of the surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

The visitors lost all 10 wickets in their second innings to spinners, who bowled the lion’s share of India’s overs.

“Challenging conditions but let’s be honest, we’ve been outplayed,” Root said after England’s run of six consecutive away Tests wins came to an end. “It’s important that we learn, we take it as a bit of an education.”

India posted 329 and 286, with Rohit Sharma and allrounder Ravichandran Ashwin smashing centuries as the hosts levelled the four-test series.

“The fact is that India showed that you can score runs on it and found a way of managing a very tricky surface,” Root said.

England’s spin duo of Moeen Ali and Jack Leach shared 14 wickets between them but Root wants more consistency.

“One thing that we could have done a little bit better, especially on day one, was just squeeze the game for longer, try and bowl six balls to one batter, try and make it difficult to rotate strike, create pressure.

“I think that’s one thing that we can take through the rest of the tour — can we find ways of keeping the ball quiet for longer? Can we string maidens together? Can we force errors through very disciplined passages of play with the ball?”

His batsmen must also rotate the strike better, Root added.

The third Test, a day-night match, starts in Ahmedabad on February 24.