Joe Root refuses to blame Chepauk pitch after India second Test thrashing

NICK HOWSON: The England skipper hopes his young side can learn quickly on turning wickets after losing by a record 317 runs in Chennai

PLAYER RATINGS: Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma blow England away as Joe Root's form subsides

India complete crushing win over England to level series

India v England: 2nd Test scorecard

England captain Joe Root has urged his side to learn quickly after slumping to a dismal defeat on a spinning pitch in the second Test against India in Chennai.

The four-Test series is now locked at 1-1 after Virat Kohli's men claimed a 317-run success on day four.

In terms of runs, it is the largest defeat suffered by England in Asia, after they were dismissed for 134 and 164 in both innings.

While Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin were able to make centuries, the tourists' floundered with no player reaching even a half-century in either innings. Ben Foakes (42) and Moeen Ali (43) were the only players to achieve any success.

Social media had been awash with criticism of a surface which took spin from early on day one, but Root has refused to look for excuses.

"The pitch has spun a huge amount and spun more than we anticipated as well," he admitted. "But take that forward and make sure were better for it in conditions that are similar.

"It was a challenging wicket. I think the toss was an important one to win but it wouldn't have guaranteed us to win the game either.

^{Ravichandran Ashwin took eight wickets in the match}

"The fact is that India have shown that you can score runs on it and have found a way of managing a very tricky surface so we've got to learn from that, add it to our own games and come back better for it. 

"It is very different from what a lot of our guys will have experienced before but as long as we learn from it we'll be a better side in the future. 

"It might not be that when we come to bat on day two of a game it spins as much as it did this time around but it might be days three, four or five when it becomes challenging.

"And now we've got that in the bank. Hopefully, guys can take that forward and be better for it."

Both sides now head to Ahmedabad for the concluding two Tests of the series, which starts with a day-night pink-ball match beginning next Wednesday (February 24) when sideways movement is likely to be more prevalent.

But when faced with spinning conditions again, Root hopes England's batting line up can channel their Indian counterparts.

"We've been very good at learning quickly in recent times and it important that we take that forward," he added"

"There are not many times when the guys will have played on a wicket that has bounced, spun and misbehaved as much as that.

"One thing I take from how they (India) played is how calm they stayed, how unflustered they were. 

^{The allrounder then went on to make a memorable century in the third innings}

"They didn't waver from their game plan and how they knew where they were going to score their runs and how they managed to bat at the other end for long periods of time.

"You can call it what you like but the fact of the matter is we were outplayed on it. As I mentioned the toss was an important one. I don't think it necessarily was going to dictate who was going to win the game. 

"The thing that stands out is India made the most of the opportunity and we didn't perform well enough in that first innings. We didn't get close enough to them and apply enough pressure. 

"Do I think it was a good pitch? I wouldn't say it was a good pitch, it made for exciting cricket, but that was not the reason why lost the game. 

"We were outplayed and we have to be very honest about that and we have to be better if we find ourselves in a similar situation."

Images courtesy of BCCI