The China Mail - England captain Stokes makes Jaiswal breakthrough in second Test

India were 182-3 at tea on the first day of the second Test after Jaiswal had fallen for 87, with the tourists looking to level the five-match series at 1-1 after last week's five-wicket loss at Headingley.

India captain Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, who between them scored three of the team's five hundreds at Headingley -- something no other losing side had achieved in more than 60,000 games of first-class cricket -- were 42 and 14 not out respectively.

Jaiswal was closing in on a century after another dazzling display of stroke-play when the left-handed opener cut flat-footedly at a short and wide ball from all-rounder Stokes, bowling from around the wicket, only to edge a poor delivery straight to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.

It was a tame end and meant Jaiswal was unable to match his excellent 101 at Headingley -- a game England won as they made light of chasing 371 for victory.

The 23-year-old's exit also saw the end of a third wicket partnership of 66 with India captain Shubman Gill that had taken the tourists to 161-3.

New batsman Pant, fresh from becoming just the second wicketkeeper in Test history to score hundreds in both innings of a match with 134 and 118 in Leeds, waited a relatively restrained 23 balls until he scored his first boundary Wednesday -- a six over midwicket against off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.

Earlier Stokes, as he had done at Headingley, opted to field after winning the toss, with England having achieved their all-time record fourth innings victory chase of 378 at Edgbaston, against India three years ago.

KL Rahul, fresh from a second-innings hundred at Headingley, rarely looked comfortable Wednesday as he took 26 balls to score two in an innings that ended when he played on to Chris Woakes, on his Warwickshire home ground.

Brydon Carse kept things tight at the other end as India were held to 37-1 off 13 overs in the first hour of play.

But there was a release of pressure when he was replaced by Tongue.

Jaiswal went to his fifty with consecutive boundaries off Tongue, a hook followed by a rasping cut. It took him a mere 59 balls to reach the landmark, with 40 of his runs coming in fours.

But shortly before lunch, Karun Nair (31) was undone by a lifting ball from the admirable Carse that lobbed gently to second slip.

The most eye-catching of the three changes made by India saw Jasprit Bumrah rested after it was announced before the series he would only feature in three of the five Tests in order to protect his fitness following a back injury.

The third Test at Lord's starts just four days after the scheduled end of the game in Birmingham. Akash Deep was given the unenviable task of replacing Bumrah, the world's number one-ranked Test bowler.

India have yet to win a Test at Edgbaston following seven defeats and a draw at the Birmingham ground.

They are also bidding for just a fourth series win in England following triumphs in 1971, 1986 and 2007.

P.Deng--ThChM