Chennai: Captain Virat Kohli and all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin scored a half-century each in the second innings on a tough batting turf of MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday to put India in commanding position by extending their lead to 416 on Day Three of the second Test against England here.
At the tea break, India had reached 221/8 in their second innings, with Ashwin and Ishant Sharma batting on 68 and 0 respectively. The hosts added 65 runs in the 25 overs bowled during the session.
Earlier in the morning session, India lost five wickets but added 102 runs to get their lead past 350. Resuming the day at 54/1, India lost the wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara (7), Rohit Sharma (26), Rishabh Pant (8), Ajinkya Rahane (10) and debutant Axar Patel (7) in quick succession.
However, Kohli and Ashwin then shared a 96-run stand for the seventh wicket to put India in a leading position of the Test.
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