1st Test: India battle to survive against England

CHENNAI: Five Test matches ago, Rishabh Pant wasn't a part of the Indian Test XI. Now he is not only the chief architect of the team's greatest overseas series win (in Brisbane), but if Virat Kohli's boys go unscathed in the first Test against England here, a large part of the credit should be reserved for this baby-faced maverick.
Cheteshwar Pujara (76), with whom Pant shared a 119-run partnership for the fifth wicket, was critical of the wicketkeeper-batsman's mode of dismissal on Sunday.It looked a reckless shot on paper but by then Pant had scored 91 off 88 balls by playing the same game. And that too when India were down in the dumps.
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The 23-year old had tried to play off-spinner Dom Bess with the turn, which wasn't exactly risky by his standards. It was his bad luck that the ball turned a little too much from the rough and he was caught in the deep. But by that time, he had given India the oxygen to fight for survival after being reduced to 73-4 chasing England's first-innings total of 578.
At stumps, India were 257-6 and if the likes of Washington Sundar (batting 33), R Ashwin and the rest of the lower order can survive a session on Monday, there is a chance of saving the game.
By the third hour of the third day, that hadn't looked to be the case. Jofra Archer's (2-52) outstanding first spell had removed both the openers Rohit Sharma and Subhman Gill and off-spinner Bess had taken over from there.
The pitch had started to afford some turn and when Virat Kohl (11) failed to negotiate the extra bounce and gave a catch to forward short-leg off Bess, things looked tricky. Rahane, too, was snapped up at cover brilliantly by Joe Root and a follow-on was staring India in the face.

That's where Pant took over. Jack Leach had been brought in to utilize the rough outside Pant's off stump but the Delhi boy was adamant that he would hit the left-arm spinner out of the attack. He launched a vicious attack on Leach and managed to clear the boundary time and again with a long on and deep mid-wicket in place. "Leach didn't bowl poorly, it was just outstanding batting by Pant. A breeze was blowing in that direction and it did help a few of his shots to go over the fence, but it was a superb innings," Bess (4-55) said.
While Pant was presenting all those heart-stopping moments, Pujara created his own universe of composure and safety. Not for once did the right-hander look in any trouble on a pitch that looked to be losing its top soil very fast. The beauty of Pujara's innings was that he was ready to use his feet to the spinners and play the occasional attacking shot, which kept the scoreboard ticking. He was a superb foil for Pant and during the 222-minute vigil, Pujara never looked like getting out. He was unlucky when he played a fierce pull shot off Bess which bounced off the forward short-leg fielder's shoulder and went into the hands of short mid-wicket.
"That was probably the only way I could have got out today, I was playing that well," Pujara said, not hiding his disappointment.