ENG vs IND: Half-centurion Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara get India through to tea with wicketless session

After seven sessions, the Indian team finally had one session completely to their name as Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara remained unscathed in the second session on Day 3 of the third Test against England as they reduced the deficit by 78 runs after lunch without losing any wickets.

Rohit Sharma continued his good work from the first session, while it was Pujara, who was the aggressor in the partnership. 

Pujara, who is often at the receiving end for his strike rate and slow batting, took everyone by surprise as he hit three fours in space of a few balls and he was off and running. James Anderson troubled him outside the off-stump but fed a fuller ball onto his pads, which Pujara gleefully accepted and flicked it onto the leg side.

The same shot was repeated a couple of times more. Craig Overton in the next over and Anderson in his next fed him on to the pads and Pujara kept them flicking on to the leg side fetching three boundaries in as many overs as he was unbeaten on 14 off as many balls.

After which it was just solid Test-match batting by both of the players. Rohit got a lucky break in between when Joe Root was late in going for the review after the umpire Richard Kettleborough had denied England's LBW appeal as the replays showed that it was going to hit the stumps.

Riding on his luck Rohit Sharma marched on and brought up his 14th half-century in Test matches in what had been a gritty knock under the situation the team was in. The duo brought up the 50-run partnership and got India through to tea without any hiccups.