Washington Sundar (33*) and Ravichandran Ashwin (8*) added unbeaten 32 runs for the seventh wicket as they kept India afloat in the match. After the hosts were reduced to 73/4, Rishabh Pant (91) and Cheteshwar Pujara (73) put on 119 runs to stop the rut but they fell in quick succession. And from 225/6, Sundar and Ashwin took India past the 250-run mark and frustrated English attack as they batted for more than 17 overs together.
After Jofra Archer (2-52) removed the openers, Dom Bess (4-55) took four wickets to keep England on top after the visitors scored a mammoth 578 in their first innings. All in all it was a tough day for the hosts who are now battling to save their reputation with two days of play left. For the home side, Jasprit Bumrah and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up three wickets each after toiling for 36 and 55.1 overs respectively. The four-match Test series between India and England is also a part of ICC World Test Championship (WTC). New Zealand has already qualified for the ICC WTC final, which is scheduled to take place from June 18-22.
