India vs England, 1st Test Day 3: KL Rahul-Ravindra Jadeja partnership helps India take lead in first session

Nottingham, Aug 6: KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja forged a partnership of 46 off 96 deliveries and took India past England's first innings total of 183 in the morning session of day three of the first Test here on Friday (August 6).

Rahul - who got a chance in the playing eleven as a back-up opener - looked solid in his defence while Jadeja - who was preferred over Ravichandran Ashwin as the lone spinner in the game - complemented the Karnataka batsman well after the tourists lost overnight batsman Rishabh Pant early.

India reached 191/5 at lunch break and took a lead of 8 runs over England on day three with Rahul batting on 77* and Jadeja 27*. India lost just one wicket in the rain-hit morning session on day three when overnight batsman Rishabh Pant was dismissed for 25 by Ollie Robinson.

Pant - who started from his overnight score of 7* - hit a boundary and a six off Robinson and gave a catch at short cover in the same over and left his team in the lurch. Pant had cleared his intentions of playing an aggressive brand of cricket when he charged down the ground and hit Anderson over mid-off for a boundary.

After Pant's departure, Rahul forged a crucial partnership with Jadeja and the duo took their team past England's first innings total of 183. Jadeja, meanwhile, reached a personal landmark as he became the fifth Indian cricketer to pick up 200-plus wickets and also amass 2000 Test runs.

Earlier on day two, the wily old James Anderson once again got his "bunny" Virat Kohli in a mesmerising spell that undid India's solid opening stand to leave them tottering at 125 for four against England on a rain-curtailed day.

The 39-year-old Anderson (13.4-7-15-2) swung it in England's favour with successive precision deliveries that got Cheteshwar Pujara (4) and Virat Kohli (0) as India from 97 for no loss slumped to 112 for four in a space of fewer than six overs.