MOHALI: Indian bowlers toiled hard without much success in the second session as Jonny Bairstow hit a resolute unbeaten 66 to take England to 205 for five at tea on the first day of the third cricket Test, here.
Having cleaned up the top four in the first session, the Indian bowlers only got Ben Stokes (29) in the second session with Ravindra Jadeja (1/36) adding his name to the
wicket-taker’s list.
Bairstow, who has been England's top run-getter in Test cricket in the past one year, mixed caution with occasional aggression en route his 13th half-century in Test cricket.
He was batting on 66 off 126 balls with five boundaries to his credit. Bairstow had company in mercurial Jos Buttler (38), who was ready for the grind having added 61 runs for the unbroken sixth wicket.
The session belonged to England who scored 113 runs and lost only one wicket.
A 57-run partnership with Stokes did repair the damage but more was expected from the all-rounder who followed colleagues playing an inappropriate shot at an inopportune time.
Well-set at 29 with five boundaries, Stokes came out as Jadeja altered the length dragging it short. He played inside the line and comeback man Parthiv Patel completed the
stumping.
There were some words exchanged between Kohli and Stokes after the dismissal but umpire Marais Erasmus nipped it in the bud. Bairstow, however, showed good technique against the spinners along with a steely temperament that has made him one of England’s ‘Go To’ Man on this tour.
He reached to the pitch of the deliveries hitting three cover drives, rocked on the backfoot to hit a cut shot while he was not afraid to play the paddle sweep when spinners
decided to bowl fuller length.
Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jayant Yadav and Mohammed Shami were the other wicket-takers for home team.
Earlier disciplined bowling effort coupled with atrocious shot selection enabled India blow away the English top-order in the first session.