Ahmedabad: India, in reply to England’s first-innnings’ 112, were 99 for three wickets at close on the opening day of the third day-night Test against England here on Wednesday.
Rohit Sharma was batting on 57 off 82 balls and Ajinkya Rahane was on one. India are still 13 runs short of matching England’s total. Captain Virat Kohli was out for 27 just minutes before the close.
After England elected to bat, Zak Crawley top-scored for the tourists with a fluent 53. But only four English batsmen managed double digits on a track where the ball turned from the first session.
The England batting fell apart after fast bowler Ishant Sharma, playing his 100th Test, struck first with the wicket of Dom Sibley for nought in the third over of the day.
Crawley put on 47 runs with Root for the third wicket to put up some resistence but Ashwin claimed the England captain with his off spin.
Root reviewed the call but replays showed the ball would have hit the top of leg stump and he left the field to the loud cheers of the home crowd.
England took tea at 81 for four and wickets kept falling in the second session.
Foakes stood guard for 58 balls before Patel bowled the wicketkeeper-batsman to wrap up the innings. Ashwin took three wickets.
England, looking to bounce back from a 317-run defeat, have brought back their pace duo of James Anderson and Archer in the team.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel was the pick of the Indian bowlers claiming 6-38, while Ravichandran Ashwin returned 3-26.
The four-test series is level at 1-1.