RAJKOT : Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay closed in on centuries Friday as India\u2019s batsmen fought back strongly on the third day of the run-laden first Test against England in Rajkot.
\nPujara was unbeaten on 99 as the teams went in for tea after hitting 15 fours in a well-crafted knock and also becoming the first Indian to successfully review a dismissal via DRS in a home match.
\nThe hosts were 228-1 and trailed England by 309 with nine wickets in hand having batted out the session without losing a wicket while adding 66 runs at the Saurashtra Cricket Association ground.
\nEngland had posted 537 in their first innings, their third biggest total in the country, after centuries from Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes.
\nPujara dominated the 160-run partnership for the unbroken second wicket with Vijay, who was batting on 86 at the break.
\nThe highlight of the session was Pujara\u2019s successful use of the Decision Review System (DRS), which long-time sceptics India are using for the first time in a home series.
\nThe right-handed batsman was adjudged lbw on 86 but the TV umpire overturned the decision after the ball-tracker showed Zafar Ansari\u2019s delivery going over the top of the stumps.
\nPujara, who has scored a triple-century in domestic cricket at the same ground, flourished in the post-lunch session, twice carting leg-spinner Adil Rashid for fours in the same over.
\nVijay was lucky to earn a life on 66 when a diving Haseeb Hameed, making his Test debut, failed to hold on to his catch off Stuart Broad (1-32) in the covers.
\nIt was England\u2019s turn to huff and puff in temperatures touching 35 degrees Celsius (95 degree Fahrenheit), and on a surface that had little to offer to the bowlers.
\nPaceman Chris Woakes impressed the most in the testing conditions, having given away 32 runs off his 16 overs.
\nThe morning session saw India lose opener Gautam Gambhir (29) to Broad, who struck off his first ball of the day.
\nThe ball hit his pad in front of the middle and off stump, and the decision was upheld after Gambhir referred it to the third umpire.
\nBefore the start of play, England players and the support staff observed a minute\u2019s silence as a mark of respect to the war dead on Armistice Day.
\nThe players also wore shirts with the poppy symbol on the right collar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RAJKOT : Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay closed in on centuries Friday as India\u2019s batsmen fought back strongly on the third day of the run-laden first Test against England in Rajkot. Pujara was unbeaten on 99 as the teams went in for tea after hitting 15 fours in a well-crafted knock and also becoming the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6302,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6293","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n