Pujara steadies India's ship
Report courtesy of Eurosport.
Monty Panesar marked his test return with four wickets but could find no way past Cheteshwar Pujara as the India number three once again resisted England in Mumbai on Friday.
Without Pujara (114 not out), England would surely have bowled their hosts out cheaply on day one of the second test at the Wankhede Stadium.
The top six faltered against Panesar (4-91) on a spinners' pitch, and then Pujara shared 50-run stands with Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravichandran Ashwin (60 not out) to turn a wobbly 119 for five into 266 for six by stumps.
As in his 206 not out in Ahmedabad last week, Pujara appeared in control throughout a near five-and-a-half hour century.
Panesar bagged the prize wickets of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. In his 100th test, opener Sehwag managed 30, and Tendulkar just eight.
James Anderson gave the tourists a near perfect start, in the first over of the match after India had won the toss.
Gautam Gambhir clipped him through midwicket for four first ball, but England's pace bowler swung the next past bat on to pad to win an lbw.
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Panesar had Sehwag beaten in flight to bowl him. Tendulkar also lost his off-stump to Panesar.
Virat Kohli was not quite to the pitch driving Panesar and pushing a catch low to cover. Alastair Cook reintroduced Graeme Swann to bowl at Yuvraj Singh who he bowled for a second-ball duck.
Pujara offered a half-chance on 60 when Anderson could not cling on diving low to his left at second slip off Panesar.
The visitors were arguably unfortunate not to dismiss Pujara on 94, when a pull at Swann appeared to loop up off Cook's boot at short-leg into the hands of midwicket.
The umpires interpreted ball first hitting ground from video replay evidence.
INDIA: V Sehwag, G Gambhir, CA Pujara, SR Tendulkar, V Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni*†, Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin, Z Khan, PP Ojha
ENGLAND: AN Cook*, NRD Compton, IJL Trott, KP Pietersen, JM Bairstow, SR Patel, MJ Prior†, SCJ Broad, GP Swann, MS Panesar, JM Anderson
