England in India: Joe Root playing with a smile and in the form of his life

England captain Joe Root (right) shared a stand of 200 with opener Dom Sibley

The first day of the first Test in Chennai was rather like a much-anticipated heavyweight boxing fight.

Having been through the weigh-in and face-to-to face showdowns, the first round was an opportunity for England and India to sound each other out, throw a tentative jab here and there, and set out their stall for the battle to come.

For England, it was a very promising start led by a captain who is in the form of his life.

For Joe Root to score hundreds in three consecutive Tests on the sub-continent, and to become the third Englishman to score a century in his 100th Test, is superb.

Root playing with a smile

Root was facing the sort of bowling he thrives on – he is a master batsman against spin – but what I love most is how much he is enjoying playing cricket.

He had a big smile on his face on the first day against Sri Lanka in Galle – even before he picked a bat up – and that has continued in India. There was a moment on Friday when he was on his back while suffering from cramp, with Virat Kohli helping him stretch his hamstring. They were both smiling and laughing.

Taking nothing away from his innings, the conditions were easier for Root to bat in than those in Sri Lanka.

In the first innings of Test matches in India, you’re giving yourself a 75% head start when you win the toss and bat. It’s not a 50/50 case like it can be in England, where you can lose the toss but pick up a few wickets.

The Galle pitches were far less predictable, but this pitch at the moment is flawless. It is like a road; it has done nothing.

Excellent Sibley deserved a century Opener Sibley averages 36.52 in 14 Tests for England

England will be pleased with the character they showed to fight back from 63-2 just before lunch.

Rory Burns will be wondering, like everyone else, why he thought reverse-sweeping Ravichandran Ashwin was the right option for that ball at that time.

I suspect he will not be able to answer. He had not played cricket for so long, was getting into the tempo and was playing so calmly, then just gave his wicket away.

The tourists then lost Dan Lawrence, who was batting at number three for the first time. It is a difficult position because there is a lot of pressure.

An England team not so long ago could have found themselves floundering from that position.

Player Team Opposition Score Year Colin Cowdrey England Australia 104 1968 Javed Miandad Pakistan India 145 1989 Gordon Greenidge West Indies England 149 1990 Alec Stewart England West Indies 105 2000 Inzamam-ul-Haq Pakistan India 184 2005 Ricky Ponting (x2) Australia South Africa 120 & 143* 2006 Graeme Smith South Africa England 131 2012 Hashim Amla South Africa Sri Lanka 134 2017 Joe Root England India 128* 2021

But huge credit goes to the calm approach displayed by Dom Sibley in an excellent innings.

He looked unflappable in his 87 from 286 deliveries. It is a shame he did not reach his century, because he deserved to.

In Sri Lanka, he got out to spinner Lasith Embuldeniya three times for a low score. He had not played much spin, and the only way to learn is by facing it. I think he has learnt pretty quickly.

Now he’s playing straighter, his footwork has improved, he is taking big strides forward and back and flicking the ball through mid-wicket. People will look at the number of balls it took him but he actually played some wonderful shots and showed a much-improved technique.

What I like about Sibley is that a year ago he recognised he was not fit enough for international cricket. He went away and got in shape.

He may have missed a low full toss towards the end, which is a surprising way to get out, but I suspect he was tired.

England have had six days sitting in their hotel rooms. If they are a bit jaded and tired at the end of the day, it is hardly surprising.

It’s 30-odd degrees and very humid with the sun beaming in Chennai, which is a very hard place to play.

The good work can be undone quickly India captain Virat Kohli lends a helping hand to Joe Root who was suffering from cramp on day one in Chennai

England will need to go big on Saturday.

Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope have not played in a while, but they have got to bat for as long as they can.

Root has said England want 600-700. He has had a closer look at the pitch than any of us, and he obviously feels a big first-innings score is important.

This is the type of pitch you only want to bat on once if possible, and England will want to drag India into the dirt.

It has been a promising start, but they will need to be cautious. The good work can be undone very quickly.

They can go on and dominate the game but they are not there yet.

Jonathan Agnew was speaking to BBC Sport’s Kal Sajad.