England on top at the end of Day 3, Pant leads India's fightback

Chennai, Feb 7 (IANS) England remained on the top at the end of the third day of the first Test against India after Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara led the hosts' fightback to reduce their first innings deficit to 321 runs.India ended Day 3 on 257 runs for six wickets in reply to England's 578 at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium here. England reduced India to 73/4 earlier in the day with captain Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill being dismissed cheaply. Pujara and Pant then put up a 119-run stand for the fifth wicket with the latter going after England spinner Jack Leach. Pant smashed 91 off 88 balls before becoming Dom Bess's fourth wicket of the day. Washington Sundar, batting on 33, was in the middle with Ravichandran Ashwin on eight off 54 balls at stumps. Brief scores: England 578 all out (Joe Root 218, Dom Sibley 87; Jasprit Bumrah 3/84) vs India 257/6 (Rishabh Pant 91, Cheteshwar Pujara 73; Dom Bess 4/55)
--IANS rkm/sdr/