Manchester [UK], July 23 : In a session marked by mostly remarkable control and a few misses, openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal made sure Team India kickstarted the fourth Test at Manchester on a solid note, taking the visitors way beyond the 50-run mark at the first session end.
At the end of the session's play, India was 78/0, with KL (40*) and Jaiswal (36*) unbeaten.
As England elected to field first, Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul started off reasonably well, getting themselves a boundary each within the first three overs.
Jaiswal, though, survived a catch attempt at slip in the first over as it fell short of the man at second slip.
Jaiswal had some struggles against Woakes, who beat him plenty of times, but he nonetheless persisted.
KL also became the fifth batter to complete 1,000 runs in England from India, joining the elite company of Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
India survived the first hour against Woakes, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, at 42/0, with KL (21*) and Jaiswal (13*).
Both KL and Jaiswal continued their grind following drinks, with skipper Ben Stokes striking KL's pad in his first over, but the opener survived.
A cut carved by Jaiswal, piercing the gap between third slip and gully, brought India's fifty-run mark in 17.4 overs.
Towards the final few overs of the first session, Jaiswal became more aggressive, using some big hits against skipper Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, the heroes of England's Lord's triumph. India ended the session without a wicket lost.
Stokes won the fourth consecutive toss and opted to bowl against India in the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday. India, trailing by 1-2, needs to conjure a win to keep the series alive. A defeat would mark the beginning of captain Shubman Gill's era. On the other hand, England, who stood triumphant with a 22-run victory at Lord's, will look to take confidence from their past exploits and take an unassailable lead in the series.
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Anshul Kamboj.
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