IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Test played between India and England in Hyderabad, on Friday.
Ravindra Jadeja's two-layered fifty and KL Rahul's mastery were at the heart of India's 421 for seven, a total which placed them several miles ahead of England after the second day's play of the first Test in Hyderabad on Friday.
Jadeja (81 batting) and Axar Patel (35 batting), who added 63 runs for the unbroken eighth-wicket stand, are at the crease at stumps.
India's lead has now swelled to 175 runs, and England would find it tough to wipe that out once their turn to bat come on third day.
But India's ascendancy to the top on a slightly tacky pitch was more tectonic and Jadeja's risk managing abilities played a huge role in it.
In one sense, the situation was ideal for the left-hander, who loves a scrap in the middle. When Jadeja came to bat, Rahul was in full flight and he joined the party with a few blows of his own.
In fact, the initial 40 balls he faced produced 35 runs as India first closed the gap with England and then swiftly moved into the lead.
But Rahul's dismissal for a 123-ball 86 forced Jadeja to transform his approach. India's lead was still only 42 then, and the home side needed him to bat long to construct more floors above that fledgling foundation.
Jadeja did precisely that. He slowed down indeed, but not to that extend of confining himself into a shell and opened up whenever England bowlers erred in their lengths.
A daring hoick off left-arm spinner Tom Hartley over long-on for a six and a flowing off-drive off leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed for a four showcased his power and touch.
England bowlers were all in spirit and optimism while bowling and appealing throughout the day, but they lacked consistency in hitting the right spot, except Joe Root, who is more than a part-timer in these conditions.
It came as no surprise then that it was Root who put Jadeja in the most unpleasant situation during his knock. The spinner wrapped Jadeja's pads and umpire Paul Reiffel upheld the shout for leg-before.
But the DRS found a massive inside edge as Jadeja survived at 49. He duly completed his 20th Test fifty in 84 balls when he peeled three runs off Root.
The only sore point during his otherwise assured stay was a calamitous mix-up which resulted in the run out of R Ashwin, as Jadeja sold a dummy, jogging a few steps before turning his back only to find his spin bowling partner standing right next to him.
Though KS Bharat (41, 81 balls) failed to kick on, the wicketkeeper batter helped Jadeja make 68 runs off 141 balls for the sixth wicket, which expanded India's lead.
But regret will linger inside Bharat, who recently made a hundred against England Lions for India A, for he could not make his maiden Test fifty when the team was in a strong position and there was no real pressure on him.
Earlier, KL Rahul's classy 86 helped India eclipse England's first-innings total of 246 and take control of the opening Test.
India, who have not lost a test series at home since 2012, motored along to 309-5 at tea on the second day for a lead of 63, with all-rounders Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin yet to bat.
Ravindra Jadeja was on 45 at the break with KS Bharat on nine at the other end.
Rahul smacked two sixes in a Rehan Ahmed over to put India in the lead and went on to forge half-century partnerships with Shreyas Iyer (35) and Jadeja to consolidate India's position.
Early in the second session, England gave India a big blow as Rehan Ahmed removed Shreyas Iyer for 35 runs,
Leg-spinner Ahmed removed Iyer with Hartley taking the catch in the deep, breaking a 64-run partnership with KL Rahul.
All-rounder Jadeja then came out to bat.
The duo mixed caution with aggression, stitching a solid partnership as India found themselves at 275/4.
Runs continued to come easily for India as Rehan Ahmed bowled a short ball and Jadeja was quick to transfer his weight on the back foot, pulling it wide of mid-wicket for a four.
Jadeja and Rahul stitched a rapid fifty-run partnership. With the onslaught against England, Rahul completed 1000 runs in Test matches at home. He, however, missed out on a century.
Ahmed and Hartley combined again to dismiss Rahul, who threw his bat in disgust after pulling a Hartley half-tracker to Ahmed when a hundred seemed there for the taking.
KL Rahul's unruffled fifty formed the fulcrum as India reached 222 for three at lunch to close the gap, despite England spinners producing a better effort, on Day 2 of the first Test in Hyderabad on Friday.
Rahul (55 batting) and Shreyas Iyer (34 batting) are at the crease as India, resuming from their overnight 119 for one, now trail England by 24 runs. The visitors were bowled out for 246 in their first innings on Day 1.
Rahul was all imperious timing and he seemed to have imbibed a lot of confidence from that hundred against South Africa earlier this month at Centurion.
The conditions at the RGI Stadium were vastly different from the SuperSport Park but no less challenging, especially with England tweakers settling into an improved rhythm.
But, Rahul held his ground firmly with his technical correctness coming to the fore against both spinners and pacer, helping India to make 103 runs at 3.81 runs per over.
The Bengaluru man used his ballet-dancer feet well to meet Tom Hartely's delivery midway to smote it through the long-on for a boundary.
If that showed his light footwork, his impeccable timing was on view when he punched pacer Mark Wood through the covers for a four.
Rahul's ability to improvise was there for all to see when he paddle-pulled Wood for a four behind square leg, and he soon brought up his 14th Test fifty with a single off Joe Root.
But at the other end, Shreyas, who helped Rahul milk 63 runs for the ongoing fourth-wicket stand, was not entirely comfortable, especially when Wood tested him with a few short-pitched balls.
England positioned a deep third man, deep fine leg and deep backward square leg to trap him, but the Mumbaikar survived the barrage to fight another session.
Even leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed managed to find an outside edge of Shreyas' bat, but the ball landed inches short of Root at first slip.
However, India made an inauspicious start to the day, losing overnight batter Yashasvi Jaiswal in the fourth ball of the day's first over.
Jaiswal biffed a four through long-on in the second ball of that over but his attempt for an encore two balls later resulted in a tame return catch to Root.
England were understandably delighted after that wicket because an extended stay for Jaiswal would have further pushed them to the backfoot.
Gill, the other overnight batter, too could not kick on as his attempt to swat Hartley ended in the hands of Ben Duckett at mid-wicket, giving the left-arm spinner his maiden Test wicket.
