Speed Post News Network
Patna : India were 154/4 in 41 overs in their first innings at tea on Day 3 in the first test against England at M A Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, Tamilnadu, on February 7, 2021, with Cheteshwar Pujara unbeaten on 53 in 111 balls with 7 fours, his fourth fifty plus innings in last five innings, and Rishabh Pant (wk) batting on a swashbuckling 54 in 44 balls hitting 4 fours and 4 sixes.
But, with opener Rohit Sharma, captain Virat Kohli, and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, and opener Shubman Gill already back to pavilion, India look unlikely to overtake England’s mammoth first innings total of 578 runs in 190.1 overs. Rohit fell to fast bowler Jofra Archer for 6 making it 19/1. Gill also fell to Archer for 19 making it 44/2. Kohli fell to Dominic Bess for 11 and it was 71/3. Rahane too fell to Bess for 1 and it was 73/4.
Pujara and Pant have so far added 81 runs in their unbroken partnership for the 5th wicket. It was Pujara’s 29th test fifty. He has used his feet very well against England spinner Jack Leach and Dominic Bess. Pant was particularly severe on Leach. Pant reached his fifty in just 40 balls continuing from where he had left in Australia.
Earlier, England were all out for 578 in their first innings. Dominic Bess fell o Jasprit Bumrah for 34 in 105 balls with 6 fours while James Anderson fell to Ravichandran Ashwin for 1. Jack Leach remained unbeaten on 14 in 57 balls with 2 fours.
Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandra Ashwin took three wickets each while Shahbaz Nadeem and Ishant Sharma took two wickets each.