Moeen advises England to stay patient on day 3 vs India

After tea, the hosts began their first innings and made it all the way to the close without losing a wicket as India ended the day on 63 without loss, 474 runs behind England.

“It’s a very good pitch, but I think the bounce is going to be the problem”. Mishra’s wicket resulted in end of play and at stumps India were still trailing by 218 runs with six wickets in hand.

England’s labours brought them a solitary wicket in two sessions as India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara stood on the verge of a century on his home ground at tea on day three of the first Test. He said the key feature of their partnership is communication. He mentioned that I had been batting really well and didn’t have to worry about my strike-rate.

In the next over, Pujara drove a full pitched delivery by Ben Stokes through the cover point region for a boundary to bring up his 11th Test fifty.

There was not much more that England could have done throughout with the ball, even though there was a period just before lunch when Cook lost a bit of control and Ben Stokes was expensive. After Pujara’s dismissal, he put on 41 with Kohli for the third wicket.

Vijay racked up his seventh test hundred off 254 deliveries.

The England assistant coach said: “Those wickets have given us a lift”. R Ashwin (2-167) had picked two wickets on day one, but wasn’t successful on day two. We bowled at two outstanding batsmen on a very good pitch and had to wait. You want to see a contest between the sides, with each having their moments over the course of five days.

Openers, Vijay and Gautam Gambhir, had negotiated 23 overs successfully on the second day, but they knew that their job was far from finished. If we continue to bat well, and once we reach the same total or get a lead of 60 or 70 runs, it will help us in the second innings. “The slower balls spun a bit more than the rest but the build up to that ball has to be good”, he said after the second day’s play. It was a hard day for England bowlers on the field under the scorching sun as Vijay and the local boy – Pujara looked solid at the crease right from the start of their partnership.

Seamers Stuart Broad, who is playing his 100th Test, shared the new ball with Chris Woakes but couldn’t get the breakthrough.

The 28-year-old Pujara was a run short of his ninth century in his 39th Test after he was reprieved on 86 by the Decision Review System which is being used by India at home for the first time. Gambhir and Vijay, who produced an opening stand of 68, could only add five runs to India’s overnight score before Gambhir was trapped leg before by Broad on 29.