500th Test: Vijay, Pujara notch fifties as India reach 291-9 on Day 1

Kanpur [India], Sept.22 (ANI):Opener Murali Vijay and one drop Cheteshwar Pujara struck contrasting half-centuries as India reached a score of 291-9 at stumps on the opening day of the historic 500th Test match against New Zealand here at Green Park on Thursday. Opting to bat first in the opening Test of the three-match series, opener Lokesh Rahul gave his side a solid start against a persistent New Zealand spin attack by scoring a 39-ball 32 before Vijay (65) and Pujara (62) shared a crucial 112-run stand for second wicket. All-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma also contributed significant scores of 40 and 35 respectively. However, skipper Virat Kohli, Wriddiman Saha and Ajikya Rahane failed to counter the tourists' spin attack as they were dismissed at their respective scores of nine, duck and 16. For New Zealand, Trent Boult was the pick of the bowlers for his figures of three for 57 followed by left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner's three for 77. Neil Wagner, Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig chipped in with a wicket each. Ravindra Jadeja (16) and Umesh Yadav (eight) will now resume the innings when they come to bat on the second day tomorrow. The historic match also saw a host of former Indian Test skippers, including Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the crowd to celebrate the country's milestone. (ANI)