Indias spinners, R Ashwin in particular, had threatened to disrupt Englands effort on the first day of the first Test in Rajkot, but Joe Root starred for the tourists with an impressive ton - his eleventh in Tests - to set the platform for a sizable score of 311 for 4 at stumps on Wednesday.In the first two sessions of the day, England was reduced to 102 for three as Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja found spin early. But Root and Moeen Ali stood up to the spin challenge from India and took their side to a strong position with a 179-run stand for the fourth wicket, the longest and highest partnership by a visiting team since the start of the last season.Root in particular was fluent and answered all questions posed to him by Indias spinners. Ashwin, on his part, tested the right-hander with flight and drift, but Root cut and swept the ball with ease and struck 25 fours enroute in his ton.Alastair Cook, Englands captain, had at the toss said that his batsmen needed to stand tall in the first innings and Root, who was finally dismissed for a 180-ball 124 and Ali, who remained unbeaten on 99 at stumps seized early advantage in the Test and the series.Since his recall in 2014, Root has scored 200 not out, 154 not out, 83, 98, 134, 85, 24, 0, 48, 40, and now 124 in his first innings of the series. Roots innings in Rajkot ended in an extraordinary fashion, when he drove the ball back towards Umesh Yadav, who caught it and in a single upwards motion flung it skywards, but with less control than he might have desired. Englands number three stood his ground only to have the third umpire, Rod Tucker, uphold the on-field umpires decision.England at that stage stood at 281 for four with over ten overs to play. Roots hundred was his third against India, his third in Asia and his third away from home. He also became the first foreign batsman to score a ton in India since Michael Clarke scored his in February 2013.Ben Stokes and Ali ensured they kept their wickets in tact to add to Indias woes on the second day. Ali stands unbeaten on 192-ball 99. We always thought seam might be a bit useful early on, and the guys at the top did well. We just knew we needed to build a partnership. I thought Mo was outstanding as well, look forward to watching him continue tomorrow, Root said.The way we practiced in the lead-up to the game, its nice to go and get it out there in the middle. I think we saw throughout the innings the ball having variable bounce. Its important to get a first-innings score and put pressure on them that way. Gareth Bale Wales Jersey . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Ashley Williams Wales Jersey . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. http://www.soccerwalesstore.com/joe-allen-wales-UEFA-EURO-jersey/ . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Custom Wales Soccer Jerseys . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Joe Ledley Jersey . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. DENVER -- ??? Vancouver goaltender Jacob Markstrom saved his best stuff for last, shutting down Colorado with the game in the balance.His secret: Stop the puck, really simple, he quipped.Markstrom had 32 saves and made three consecutive stops in a shootout, helping the Canucks edge the Avalanche 3-2 on Saturday night.Markstrom stymied an aggressive attack by the Avalanche in overtime, and then stopped Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Matt Duchene in the tiebreaker. Markus Granlund converted his shootout opportunity for the Canucks.We needed Marky in overtime, Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins said. I thought we contained them OK during the game, but overtime they had some chances and Markstrom came up big.Loui Eriksson and Alexandre Burrows scored for Vancouver, which went 2-1-0 on a three-game trip. The Canucks also improved to 4-1-1 in their last six games against the Avalanche.It was a great trip, Burrows said. Even though we didnt get the result in Dallas (on Friday), we still played well. And four out of six points on the road, with travel, you take that every time.Calvin Pickard, starting in place of injured goalie Semyon Varlamov, stopped 29 shots for Colorado. He is 4-1-1 in six starts this season.Mikhail Grigorenko and Jarome Iginla scored for the Avs, who have lost the first two games of their five-game homestand.I liked our effort tonight, we were skating and working, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. It gets to a shootout and its a coin toss for me at that point. We need to score a goal if were going to win it in a shootout.Burrows put the Canucks ahead 2-1 just 1:26 into the third, but 39-year-old Iginla responded with his third of the season at 3:56.Colorado then came out strong in overtime and just missed on several opportunities. Vancouver had a power play in the final 20 seconds but also came up short.Its tough to lose in a shootout, but they want to win as much as we do, and their goalie was playing really well, Pickard said. He made some biig stops in overtime and in the shootout.dddddddddddd.Early on, the Canucks looked like the more energized team despite playing the second of a back-to-back. They made the most of an early power play, jumping in front when Eriksson took a pass from Granlund and beat Pickard on the short side.The Vancouver winger went scoreless in the first 13 games of the year but now has five goals in his last nine appearances.Pickard kept the Avalanche in the game with a handful of dazzling saves, including one where he was forced to stretch his leg out to rob Bo Horvat late in the first.Grigorenko tied it midway through the second period. After chances by Carl Soderberg and Duchene in front of the net, Grigorenko flicked a shot off Markstroms back and then poked in the rebound for his second goal of the season.Game notes Vancouver D Alexander Edler left after he blocked a shot by Soderberg in the first period. He will have X-rays when the team returns home, Desjardins said. ... The Avalanche got a scare of their own when MacKinnon lost an edge and slammed into the boards early in the second. He winced in pain for a few minutes but quickly returned to the ice. ... Bednar said he hoped Varlamov (upper-body injury) would be able to return to practice Sunday. ... The Avalanche recalled G Spencer Martin from the San Antonio Rampage to serve as Pickards backup. Martin was Colorados third-round draft choice in 2013. ... The Canucks assigned Alex Biega to the Utica Comets for a conditioning stint. ... Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog missed his fifth straight game with a lower-body injury. ... Vancouver winger Sven Baertschi missed his second straight game with a foot injury and is considered day to day.UP NEXTCanucks: Return home to face the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.Avalanche: Continue a five-game homestand on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. ' ' '