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PHOTOS: Pandya fifer puts India in commanding position at Trent Bridge

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Last updated on: August 20, 2018 09:26 IST

IMAGES from Day 2 of the 3rd Test played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Sunday

- Scorecard

India's Hardik Pandya holds up the ball as his leads his team out after taking a five-wicket haul

IMAGE: India's Hardik Pandya holds up the ball as his leads his team out after taking a five-wicket haul. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Hardik Pandya stole the limelight with his maiden five-wicket haul as India made a strong comeback in the series by taking complete control of the third cricket Test against England, in Nottingham on Sunday.

At stumps on day two, India were well placed at 124 for two in 31 overs in their second innings with an overall lead of 292 runs over England.

 

At stumps, Cheteshwar Pujara was batting on 33 and skipper Virat Kohli was unbeaten on 8  with three full days play remaining in the match.

It was Pandya who took centre stage, registering career-best figures of 5 for 28 to help India bundle out England for 161 in their first innings and give his side the upperhand for the first time in the series.

After tea, India’s opening duo of Shikhar Dhawan (44) and KL Rahul (36) looked to build on India's advantage by making another cautious start.

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Hardik Pandya stole the limelight with his maiden five-wicket haul as India made a strong comeback in the series by taking complete control of the third cricket Test against England, in Nottingham on Sunday.

At stumps on day two, India were well placed at 124 for two in 31 overs in their second innings with an overall lead of 292 runs over England.

At stumps, Cheteshwar Pujara was batting on 33 and skipper Virat Kohli was unbeaten on 8  with three full days play remaining in the match.

It was Pandya who took centre stage, registering career-best figures of 5 for 28 to help India bundle out England for 161 in their first innings and give his side the upperhand for the first time in the series.

India's KL Rahul is bowled by England's Ben Stokes

IMAGE: India's KL Rahul is bowled by England's Ben Stokes.Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

After tea, India’s opening duo of Shikhar Dhawan (44) and KL Rahul (36) looked to build on India's advantage by making another cautious start.

Rahul, in particular, was aggressive as he hit seven fours and scored at 100-plus strike rate during his 33-ball stay.

Dhawan, on the other end, was a bit more watchful as the duo brought up the 50 in the ninth over.

But Ben Stokes (1/30) broke the partnership by cleaning up Rahul in the 12th over.

New man in, Pujara was cautious after his recent failures and put on 51 runs with Dhawan for the second wicket before Adil Rashid (1/23) foxed the left-hander with a google, only to be stumped by Jonny Bairstow. 

Earlier, Pandya picked up career-best figures as England lost 10 wickets in the post lunch session to be bowled out in 38.2 overs at Trent Bridge.

Ishant Sharma (2/22) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/37) also picked up two wickets apiece.

India's Hardik Pandya celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's Stuart Broad

IMAGE: India's Hardik Pandya celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's Stuart Broad. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images via Reuters.

But Pandya's lethal five-over opening spell made the difference as he sent the English line-up reeling in a space of 28 balls.

Coming on to bat after lunch, the hosts crossed 50 in the 10th over, after which the floodgates opened.

Sharma was handed the ball as play restarted and he had both the openers -- Alastair Cook (29) and Keaton Jennings (20) -- in all sorts of trouble.

He dismissed Cook for the 10th time in Test cricket, caught behind in the 12th over after the left-hander was dropped by Pujara at first slip two balls earlier.

On the very first ball of the next over, Bumrah removed Jennings caught behind as well.

Olliver Pope (10) and Joe Root (16) added 21 runs for the third wicket, but Sharma's fuller lengths caused all sorts of trouble for both the batsman. He had Pope caught behind as well with Rishabh Pant latching on to his third catch of the day.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (0/3) went off the field for a short time owing to a stiff hip, but he recovered enough to return to the field.

Pandya made sure that the off-spinner wasn't required at all in the first innings. First, he had Root caught at second slip with Rahul getting his fingers under the ball in time for the TV umpire to rule in his favour.

England's Jos Buttler hits a six

IMAGE: England's Jos Buttler hits a six. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Then an over later, Pandya and Rahul combined again to send Bairstow (15) back.

England were reeling at 108 for 5 in the 30th over as Stokes' struggle ended with Rahul this time claiming a catch off Mohammed Shami (1/56).

Pandya wasn't done just yet. His next three wickets came in the space of three balls across the 31st and 33rd over, during which he was on a hattrick as well.

Pandya accounted for both Chris Woakes (8) and Rashid (5) as Pant collected his fifth catch in only his first Test outing.

The all-rounder was on a hat-trick after he trapped Stuart Broad (0) with the first ball of the next over, but James Anderson (1 not out) fended it off.

Pandya's 28-ball effort was the second-quickest five-wicket haul for India in Test cricket after Harbhajan Singh took a fiver off 27 balls against West Indies in 2006.

Jos Buttler (39) threw his bat around and hit three fours and two sixes as England barely managed to save the follow on. He added 33 runs for the last wicket with Anderson before holing out off Bumrah in the deep.

India's Ravichandran Ashwin is bowled by England's Stuart Broad

IMAGE: India's Ravichandran Ashwin is bowled by England's Stuart Broad. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Earlier, pacemen Stuart Broad and James Anderson skilfully exploited helpful conditions to each take two wickets as India were dismissed for 329 in 40 minutes on the second morning of the third Test at Trent Bridge on Sunday.

England's openers then survived a tricky session before lunch, eventually making quick progress to reach 46 without loss from nine overs with Alastair Cook on 21 and Keaton Jennings on 20.

Play had resumed at 1130 local time with India 307 for six after a half-hour delay caused by a sprinkling of rain on a grey morning.

England's swing bowlers could not have designed better conditions and from Broad's first over it was clear that Rishabh Pant, on an overnight 22, and new batsman Ravichandran Ashwin would struggle to survive once the attack got their length right.

England's James Anderson celebrates the wicket of India's Jasprit Bumrah 

IMAGE: England's James Anderson celebrates the wicket of India's Jasprit Bumrah. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images via Reuters

India probably hoped to get close to 400 but that prospect disappeared with the wicket of Pant, who dragged a tempting delivery from Broad on to his stumps when on 24.

Anderson was less than impressed to see Ashwin put down off a sharp chance to Ollie Pope at slip, but the let-off was brief as Broad bowled the right-hander middle stump in the next over with a full delivery that swung markedly.

India's final two batsmen fell to successive balls from Anderson, who had Mohammed Shami caught at mid on by Broad after a wild swing and followed up by bowling a bemused Jaspit Bumrah first ball.

Anderson and Broad joined Chris Woakes, who did not bowl on Sunday, in each taking three wickets as India posted a score in excess of 300 in England for the first time in four years.

Alastair Cook had a streaky before finding the gaps at ease

IMAGE: England's Alastair Cook had a streaky start before finding the gaps with ease. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

The quick end to India's innings left England's openers with a tricky 40-minute session up to lunch and both batsmen looked initially uncomfortable, flashing through the slips as India's seamers also got the ball to move around.

Cook has only posted one fifty in 11 Tests at Trent Bridge and flicked his first ball from Shami through the slips for a lucky boundary.

Jennings also flirted with disaster, edging Bumrah's first delivery at catchable height in the gap between third and fifth slips as the openers were given a thorough examination of temperament and technique.

At least the edges allowed the scoreboard to rattle along and by lunch both were looking more comfortable as England looked well set to make significant inroads into India's total.

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