Top-ranked India finished the day on a strong 319-4 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association ground in Rajkot, supported by the duo’s performance.

Pujara made 124 off 206 balls before being dismissed by first-innings centurion Ben Stokes, but owes his ninth Test century and third against England to the Decision Review System.

The right-handed batsman was ruled lbw on 86 but the TV umpire — which long-time sceptics India are using for the first time in a home series — overturned the decision after the ball-tracker showed Zafar Ansari’s delivery going over the top of the stumps.

Vijay hit 126 during a marathon eight-hour innings and shared 209 runs for the second wicket with Pujara.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli was batting on 26 at stumps while nightwatchman Amit Mishra was dismissed for a duck off the last ball of the day. The hosts trailed by 218 runs with six wickets in hand in reply to England’s 537, their third biggest total on Indian soil thanks to centuries from Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Stokes.

After being stuck on 99 for 10 balls, Pujara reached the three-figure mark with a nervous single as his father and wife applauded from the stands.

New Zealand’s recalled pace bowler Matt Henry and off-spinner Jeetan Patel shared five wickets between them on the first day of a must-win match for the visitors in Kolkata.

Wriddhiman Saha was on 14 and Ravindra Jadeja was yet to score when bad light stopped play at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

Pujara (87) and Rahane (77) put together 141 runs for the fourth wicket after India, who elected to bat first in their 250th home Test, were in trouble early at 46 for three.

New Zealand need to win the Test to keep their series hopes alive after India secured a comprehensive 197-run victory in Kanpur in the first of the three matches. Henry claimed the scalps of openers Shikhar Dhawan, who disappointed on his return, scoring just one run, and Murali Vijay.

Henry’s effort of 3-35 put behind the disappointment of losing skipper Kane Williamson to viral fever on the morning of the match as Ross Taylor donned the captain’s hat. “We have a great batting line-up and obviously it is a shame not to have Kane there…It is going to be a tough day with the heat and things like that.

“We just have to keep playing the long game and apply it as best we can. AFP

Despite Rohit’s poor form in the Tests, he has the confidence of captain Virat Kohli, who feels that the ODI specialist should be given a longer run to prove himself in the Test format.

The star Mumbai batsman, who holds the world record for the highest score in ODIs, could never settle down in the longest format during his delayed 18-Test career that began with a bang — with back-to-back tons against the West Indies in 2013 in India.

Considered to be a batsman with a wide range of strokes, Rohit has been in and out of the playing XI since then with consistency not his forte in Tests.

In the recent series against the West Indies in the Caribbean, he got a chance to play in two out of four games, one of which was washed out, and he mustered 9 and 41 in the two innings in the third Test at Gros Islet.

How much patience will the selectors continue to have on the talented but under-performing 29-year-old batsman at the Test level is a matter of conjecture.

Rohit also did not do well in the first innings of the ongoing Duleep Trophy final in Greater Noida after being specifically included in one of the teams — India Blue — following his return from the West Indies and the USA.

He made just 30 runs yesterday before throwing his wicket away.

With quite a few talented youngsters like Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey and Karun Nair waiting in the wings, the selectors will have a tough task at hands.

Another top-order batsman who has come under the scanner is Cheteshwar Pujara. He was dropped for the final Test against the West Indies, along with successful opener in past Test rubbers — Murali Vijay –, by the tour management.

Pujara grafted his way to 62 runs from two innings, but has since then answered the selectors’ queries with back-to-back hundreds in the Duleep Trophy and is likely to be included in the squad which, more or less, should be the same that toured the West Indies and won the series 2-0.

Ravindra Jadeja is another player who has been asked to play in the Duleep Trophy after getting just one game in the West Indies, in which he scored 22 runs and picked up three wickets at Gros Islet. He was dropped for the fourth and final Port of Spain game, which got washed out.

It could be a toss-up between him, Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, who has grabbed 13 wickets in two games for India Red in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, and orthodox leggie Amit Mishra.

Mishra played in two out of four Tests in the West Indies, for grabbing two out of three spinners’ slots in the squad to support premier slow bowler Ravichandran

Mohammed Shami, the only Indian bowler to take more than 10 wickets against the Windies other than Ashwin, looks a certainty to spearhead the pace attack along with Ishant Sharma — the most experienced bowler in this lot.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur were the others who completed the pace quintet in the West Indies. But with the series being held in sub continent conditions, it looks unlikely that all of them will be a part of the squad.

As India have a lengthy spell of Test cricket, 13 games in all till the visit by the Australians in February-March, 2017, the selectors may also decide to go in for rotating the fast bowling resources.

A call-up for someone like Varun Aaron, now touring Australia with the India ‘A’ squad, does not appear far-fetched at some stage of the season.

Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin claimed one scalp each as West Indies advanced to 2-62 in 22 overs at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.

India assumed the top Test spot on the International Cricket Council’s official rankings when Australia lost the third Test in their series against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

Quick Single: Aussies dethroned as No.1 Test team

But the stay at the top could be short lived, as India need to beat the West Indies in the fourth Test to stop Pakistan from taking over top position.

West Indies skipper Jason Holder won the toss and batted, hoping to capitalise on a slow wicket after a wet outfield delayed the start of play by half an hour.

Pace bowler Sharma did not open the attack, but after biding his time in the field for 11 overs struck with his first ball, a rising delivery that Leon Johnson, on nine, could only fend into the diving hands of Rohit Sharma at short leg.

The Windies had already survived a scare earlier after Bhuvneshwar Kumar – who took five wickets in the first innings of the third Test – struck the outside edge of Kraigg Brathwaite’s bat four times, without getting his man.

Quick Single: Kohli’s eyes on the bigger prize

Off-spinner Ashwin dismissed Darren Bravo in the 15th over with a beautiful delivery that pitched on leg stump and turned to take the number three’s off stump.

Brathwaite was unbeaten on 32 when rain stopped play, with Marlon Samuels on four.

Quick Single: Ashwin finds all-round balance

Umpires subsequently suspended play for the day as the rain continued and the outfield become increasingly waterlogged.

India made two changes from the third test, bringing in opener Murali Vijay for Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara as an extra batsman in place of spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

Quick Single: Herath, Starc climb in ICC rankings

West Indies brought in leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for pace bowler Alzarri Joseph.

India lead the series 2-0.

(AFP) Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed a five-wicket haul as India enforced the follow-on before the rain-ruined Test against Bangladesh ended in an inevitable draw in Fatullah on Sunday.

After the entire morning session was washed out, India bowled out Bangladesh for 256 in their first innings to gain a lead of 206 runs over their own effort of 462-6 declared.

Given 30 overs to bat a second time, the hosts were 23 without loss after 15 overs when both sides agreed to call off the match at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali stadium.
Ashwin and fellow off-spinner Harbhajan Singh shared eight wickets to lead India’s brave bid to win a match in which bad weather interrupted play on all five days. The entire second day was washed out.
The duo took centre-stage after Shikhar Dhawan (173) and Murali Vijay (150) had shared an opening partnership of 283 and Ajinkya Rahane made 98 after India had won the toss and elected to bat.
For Bangladesh, star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan picked up four of the six wickets before opener Imrul Kayes top-scored with 72 and debutant Litton Das made 44.
When play resumed after lunch on the final day, Bangladesh added 10 runs to their overnight score of 111-3 before Ashwin broke through by having Shakib caught behind by Wriddhiman Saha for nine.

India: 462-6 declared
Bangladesh: 256 (Imrul Kayes 72, Litton Das 44, Ashwin 5-87) and 23-0

Saha was in action again when he stumped Kayes off Harbhajan, before Soumya Sarkar was bowled by Varun Aaron to make it 176-6.
Shuvagata Hom added 43 for the seventh wicket with Das before he was caught at short-leg by Rohit Sharma to give Ashwin his fourth wicket.
Das lived up to his promise as a batsman, but fell six short of a half-century when he became Ashwin’s fifth victim through another catch by Sharma.
Harbhajan removed Mohammad Shahid through a catch in the deep before Jubair Hossain was run out to end the innings.
Tamim Iqbal (16) and Kayes (seven) played out time in the second innings before the game ended.
The two teams are scheduled to play three one-day internationals in Dhaka on June 18, 21 and 24.

Ajinkya Rahane chipped in with 98 as India ended the heavily-curtailed third day’s play at 462 for six in their first innings at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali stadium.
Just 47.3 overs were sent down during another wet, miserable day that had begun brightly, allowing India to add 223 runs to their total of 239 for no loss on the first day.

With only 56 of the stipulated 90 overs bowled on the opening day and the entire second day’s play washed out, the match is headed for a draw. More rain has been forecast for the last two days.
But the brief spell of play on Friday saw dominant batting from Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, who carried their opening partnership to 283, before Rahane boosted the total.
Left-arm spinner Shakib was the lone bowler to make an impression on the slow pitch with figures of four for 105. Leg-spinner Jubair Hossain claimed the other two wickets.
Play started on time under sunny skies and India moved to 398 for three by the end of the extended morning session.
Shakib broke the double-century opening stand when Dhawan mistimed an on-drive and lobbed an easy return catch to the bowler.
Left-handed Dhawan, who started the day on 150, took his score to 173, which included 23 hits to the fence.
In his next over, Shakib bowled Rohit Sharma for six as India slid from 283-0 to 291-2.
It soon became 310-3 when Jubair forced skipper Virat Kohli to drag a ball on to his stumps after the batsman had made 14.
But Rahane thwarted Bangladesh by adding 114 for the fourth wicket on either side of the lunch break.
The rain-shortened second session saw just 10.3 overs of play in which India added 64 runs and lost three wickets.
Shakib trapped Vijay leg-before after the break and also bowled Rahane, while Jubair dismissed Wriddhiman Saha for six.
Vijay hit 12 boundaries and a six in his sixth Test century.
Rahane missed his fourth hundred by two runs when he was bowled attempting a pull shot after smashing the previous two deliveries for boundaries.
When stumps were drawn after the scheduled tea break, Ravichandran Ashwin was unbeaten on two and Harbhajan Singh was on seven.
The two sides are due to play three one-day internationals in Dhaka after the Test

(AFP) Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay flayed Bangladesh’s bowlers with an unbeaten 239-run partnership on the rain-curtailed opening day of the one-off Test match in Fatullah on Wednesday.
Dhawan was unbeaten on a stroke-filled 150 off 158 balls and Vijay was on a more sedate 89 after their captain Virat Kohli won the toss on the easy-paced wicket at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali stadium.
Left-hander Dhawan, who had been dropped for India’s previous Test against Australia in Sydney in January, marked his comeback with 21 boundaries in his third century.
Vijay, lucky to survive a leg-before appeal before he had scored, proved the perfect foil at the other end as Bangladesh employed seven bowlers to try to break the partnership.
Just 56 of the stipulated 90 overs were bowled during the day as rain, which arrived 25 minutes before lunch, washed out the entire post-lunch session.
Floodlights had to be switched on in the morning session to allow play to take place as threatening dark clouds loomed overhead.
Scores
India First Innings 239/0 wicket
at close
(Murali Vijay 89 not out, Shikhar Dhawan 150 not out)
Dhawan and Vijay attacked the four-pronged spin attack on either side of the interruption to compile their second 200-plus stand after their 289-run effort against Australia in 2013.
Vijay brought up the double-century partnership with a six off leg-spinner Jubair Hossain, but it was Dhawan who dominated the stand with attractive strokes all round the wicket.
Dhawan raced to 74 off 71 balls, but the untimely rain interruption denied him a chance to attempt a century before lunch.
The left-hander was on 73 when he mistimed a shot off left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, but Shuvagata Hom failed to grasp a difficult chance at short mid-wicket after getting his hands on the ball.
When play resumed after tea, Dhawan was stranded on 98 for seven deliveries before pulling Jubair for a boundary to bring up his third Test century.
The hosts’ gameplan to play four spinners meant Mohammad Shahid was the lone seamer in the side, with part-timer Soumya Sarkar sharing the new ball.
Taijul was the most expensive bowler, conceding 55 runs in his 12 overs, while Jubair went for 41 runs in his seven.
India have recalled Harbhajan Singh after two years for the current match, to partner fellow off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in a two-man spin attack.