Skipper Joe Root continued to torment the Indian spinners with a majestic double century that placed England in a commanding position and scuttled the home team’s chances of enforcing a favourable result in the first Test here on Saturday.

England ended Day Two at an intimidating 555 for eight, built around Root’s 218 that was a result of a near nine-hour effort in which he faced 377 balls. Root became the first cricketer to score a double hundred in his 100th Test but more importantly, it was an innings that will be archived for future generations as a ready reference on how to play spin on Indian pitches. The pace of his innings on the second day was a bit in contrast to how he played on the first day when he was the enforcer and Dom Sibley the grafter.