In 2012 India Were ‘Old’, Now We Are ‘Inexperienced’, Says Alastair Cook

Whilst the former played a series of well-timed shots, the latter took to sending the ball back over Rashid’s head as India looked to get back on top.

“We’ve had to talk him into the (fact that the) best thing is going home – he wants to get out and play”. “He showed a lot of character to come out and bat”. I was just thinking I was not taking a chance against the offspinner. But England was still bowled out for 236 in their second essay, giving India an easy target. It was 19-year-old Haseeb Hameed who put up a fearless resistance (59 not out off 156 deliveries) to thwart the hosts despite a hand injury. “There are bowling all-rounders and batting all-rounders, but for a genuine all-rounder, bowling and batting must go hand-in-hand in every match, something that Ashwin is doing right now”, he added.

The hosts were cruising nicely at 148-2 until tea, after which a resurgent England wreaked havoc to claim three wickets in the space of 19 deliveries and eight runs. I don’t think we have to play four in a row but you never know.

India lead the five-match series 1-0 after the opening two tests.

Kohli lauded the return of the fast bowler from injury: “Shami feels the injury was a blessing in disguise”.

Patel continued in the same tempo even after the break, stroking his way to a 39-ball fifty, his fifth in Tests, and making sure that he too made a mark in his comeback Test. “By no means, the Mohali pitch is a turner”, asserted the Indian skipper.

Parthiv Patel, who returned to the national team in Tests after eight years, led India’s first innings reply as he scored 42 runs before getting lbw to Adil Rashid.

Rashid was pick of the English bowlers as he scalped three wickets whereas Woakes took two wickets. “We were leaving the balls outside the off-stump and we built a partnership, which was crucial for the team”, the Saurashtra batsman told a news conference.

“It’s exactly been 12 months that I was asked a question about (are) we playing on “unfair pitches” and the question has turned (on) itself”, Kohli said, referring to the pitch debate during last year’s South Africa series. Every game, on an average we are scoring 80-85 runs (lower down the order). Starting from Mohammad Shami to Ravindra Jadeja, all of them proved their worth. There will be phases where a partnership is built, but eventually, it does look like India will find a way through, with the question being how makeable the target for the home team in the second innings will be, if indeed there will be one at all. Apart from picking four wickets in the match, Jadeja scored valuable 90 runs to help India secure the lead.

The England players will now head to Dubai for a break before the team management decide on the side for the fourth Test in Mumbai starting on December 8.