Indian bowlers push England on back foot on Day 1 of Mohali Test

Mohali (Punjab) [India], Nov.26 (ANI): Indian bowlers produced a scintillating performance as they reduced England to 268 for eight at stumps despite Jonny Bairstow's 89-run knock on the opening day of the third Test at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here on Saturday. Opting to bat first, England lost opener Haseeb Hameed for mere nine runs before skipper Alastair Cook (27) and Joe Root (15) took the visitors past the 50-run mark. However, a disciplined bowling effort by the hosts saw them take three quick wickets of Cook, Root and Moeen Ali (16) in the morning session. After reducing to 92-4 at lunch, England did show some fighting spirit through Bairstow, who stitched crucial partnerships of 69 and 57 with recalled Jos Buttler (43) and Ben Stokes respectively. At the end of the day's play, Adil Rashid (four) and Gareth Batty (0) remained unbeaten at the crease, with India set to take control if they can wrap up the innings and bat long on the second day. Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav and Jayant Yadav all added two wickets into their account while Mohammad Shami and Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with a wicket each. The hosts are currently leading the five-match series 1-0 following their massive 246-run win over England in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. The opening match between the two sides ended in a pale draw in Rajkot. (ANI)