Ahmedabad, Feb 24 (UNI) Axar Patel (6-38) and Rohit Sharma (57) put India in a commanding position on the opening day of the day-night third test against England, as hosts were stumps on 99/3 after bowling out visitors 112, here on Wednesday.
At stumps, Rohit was unbeaten on 57 off 82 balls and Ajinkya Rahane (1) was giving him the company. India lost the wickets of Shubman Gill (11) and Cheteshwar Pujara (0) and Virat Kohli (27)
on Day 1.
Earlier, Indian spinners Axar Patel and R Ashwin tormented England as they shared nine wickets between them.
Patel, who starred on his Test debut in the previous game in Chennai with a five-wicket haul, returned better figures in the ongoing Test – 6/38 – while Ashwin chipped in with three scalps as India bowled England out for 112 late in the second session.
Before this, England skipper Joe Root won the toss and opted to bat. Their opening stand once again didn't last for long as Dom Sibley was removed for a duck in the third over by Ishant Sharma, who was making his 100th Test appearance.
But Sibley's partner, Zak Crawley looked confident at the crease from the start and dealt with the moving pink ball without much trouble. England lost another wicket on the first ball of the seventh over when Axar Patel had Jonny Bairstow trapped in front for a duck, and that brought Root at the crease.
Crawley and Root steadied the innings and batted with caution. The opener brought up his fourth Test fifty with a four at cover point, reaching the mark in 68 balls. To England's dismay, the steady 47-run third-wicket stand was broken when Ashwin dismissed Root lbw for 17 while in the penultimate over of the first session, Patel had dismissed Crawley in a similar fashion, reducing the visitors to 81/4 by tea.
The spin-bowling duo of Patel and Ashwin wreaked havoc in the second session. England got off to another shaky start, losing two important wickets of Ollie Pope (1) and Ben Stokes (6) in back-to-back overs just after the tea break. Only Ben Foakes (12) and Archer (11) scored in double-digits as the rest of the line-up plummeted.
Patel caused the major damage, claiming his second five-wicket haul in his second Test appearance. England were eventually bowled out for 112. India openers Rohit and Gill survived the remaining five overs of the second session and took their side to 5/0 at Dinner.
Gill was the first Indian wicket to fall as he attempted to pull Archer but topped edged it in the sky for Crawley to claim. Five balls later Pujara followed, trapped for a duck by a straight delivery which skidded on from Leach.
Sharma, having survived a tight lbw call earlier on, plundered himself a half-century of 63 balls, bringing up the mark off Stokes' bowling with a tidy flick through mid-wicket, reaching stumps at 57 not-out.
Kohli had been given a lifeline on 24 when a straightforward catch was put down by Pope at point, but Leach claimed the wicket of the Indian skipper when he cut a ball outside off onto his stumps, ending the 64-run third-wicket partnership he and Sharma had built.
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