Tea India 256 for 3 (Rahul 133*, Nair 19*) trail England 477 by 221 runs
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01:53
Chopra: Parthiv will be kicking himself for missing century
KL Rahul’s fourth Test hundred led India’s response to England’s 477 in excellent batting conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. India began day three assertively, with Rahul and Parthiv Patel stretching their overnight opening partnership to 152, before England pegged them back with three wickets including those of the in-form Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. At tea, India were 256 for 3, with Rahul batting on 133 and his Karnataka team-mate Karun Nair on 19.
On a pitch that offered them little help, England’s seamers took the key wickets of India’s Nos. 3 and 4. Pujara had begun ominously before lunch, hitting Adil Rashid for two fours in one over, but fell to an uncharacteristic shot in the third over after the break, poking at a shortish, fifth-stump ball from Ben Stokes. It wasn’t a full-blooded cut, it wasn’t a back-foot defensive; he may have simply been looking to dab to third man. Instead, the ball nibbled away just a touch to take his edge through to slip.
Then Stuart Broad sent back Kohli, who hadn’t been dismissed for under 40 in his seven previous innings of the series, for 15. With Broad moving around the wicket and slanting the ball across him, Kohli had looked intent on putting bat to ball, leaving only occasionally, more often moving across his stumps to defend into the off side. Then Broad slipped in a full, wide slower offcutter. Failing to spot the change of pace, Kohli drove early and into the lap of short cover.
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Karthik Krishnaswamy is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo