Kohli, Ashwin Notch Fifties as India Trail England by 12 Runs
India end day two of the third Test against England at 271/6.
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The Indian batsmen, including flamboyant and in-form skipper Virat Kohli, were made to toil hard before Ravichandran Ashwin's counter-attacking 57 enabled the hosts to reach 271/6 at stumps on the second day of the third Test at Mohali on Sunday.
India are only 12 runs behind England's first innings score of 283 after the visitors added 15 to their overnight tally of 268 for 8.
It was an intriguing day of Test cricket and hosts can claim that their nose is slightly ahead thanks to the 67-run stand for the 7th wicket between Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who also smashed a quick-fire 31* off 59 balls.
Ashwin's sequence of scores in the series reads 70, 32, 57, 7 and 57 not out (ongoing). His innings was studded with eight fours off 81 balls. Jadeja's knock had three fours and a six.
The day's play can be called a battle of attrition with skipper Kohli curbing his aggressive stroke-play, having read the pitch really well during his patient 62 off 127 balls.
It had nine fours and the partnership of 75 with Cheteshwar Pujara (51 off 104 balls) is the highest in the innings so far.
However, Pujara was out trying to pull a long-hop and Ajinkya Rahane's (0) wretched form continued.
He failed to read a googly from England's most successful bowler Adil Rashid (3/66 in 21 overs). Karun Nair (4) also had an inauspicious debut as he was run-out.
Ben Stokes (2/48) was the other successful bowler for England. Knowing Kohli's propensity to drive through off-side, skipper Alastair Cook removed the slips and packed the cordon with four fielders with his bowlers maintaining the channel.
While Kohli got nine boundaries utilising the loose deliveries, England were successful in drying up the runs.
Earlier Parthiv Patel (42) gave a much better account of his batting skills before England successfully used their DRS review off Adil Rashid's bowling.
Coming back into the Test team after eight years, Patel did not look jittery while wielding the willow compared to his blemishes while donning the big gloves and Indians lost only Murali Vijay (12) during the opening session. In all, he hit six boundaries in 85 balls.
That Patel's batting has improved tremendously is known to one and all but what was reassuring was the confidence with which he tackled new ball bowlers Jimmy Anderson and Chris Woakes.
However, the fluent innings was cut short when he tried to sweep Rashid. Umpire Erasmus this time gave not out but the TV umpire ruled it in favour of England, who successfully used the review.
In the morning, Mohammed Shami (3/63) polished off the tail with England managing to add 15 runs to their overnight score of 268 for eight.
At the start of the day, Shami, with the first ball of the second over, got Rashid (4) to nick a delivery that only moved a shade away. He then wrapped it up by getting an in-cutter to trap Gareth Batty (1) leg before.
(With inputs from PTI)