Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara both put India in a strong position after Day one of the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.&nbsp;

Both the players hit centuries to put up a marathon 226-run stand for the third wicket as India reached 317 for four after the early loss of the openers.&nbsp;

England seamers James Anderson and Stuart Broad took one, after India opted to bat in the first ever test match in the port city. They missed a chance to send Kohli back after Adil Rashid dropped Kohli&#39;s mistimed pull shot off Stokes. Pujara also survived a England review for leg before against Moeen Ali with replays showing he was hit outside the line.

Fit-again opener Lokesh Rahul, who replaced Gautam Gambhir in the Indian side, lasted just five deliveries as fast bowler Stuart Broad dismissed him in his first over.

Rahul fell for a duck, hanging his bat away from his body to edge Broad to Ben Stokes at the third slip.

His opening partner Murali Vijay looked in good touch, hitting four crisply driven boundaries in his 20 before he fell to James Anderson.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

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Kohli-Pujara's 226-run partnership put India at 317 after the loss of four wickets on the Day one of the Visakhapatnam Test

Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara both put India in a strong position after Day one of the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. Both the players hit centuries to put up a marathon 226-run stand for the third wicket as India reached 317 for four after the early loss of the openers. England seamers James Anderson and Stuart Broad took one, after India opted to bat in the first ever test match in the port city. They missed a chance to send Kohli back after Adil Rashid dropped Kohli's mistimed pull shot off Stokes. Pujara also survived a England review for leg before against Moeen Ali with replays showing he was hit outside the line. Fit-again opener Lokesh Rahul, who replaced Gautam Gambhir in the Indian side, lasted just five deliveries as fast bowler Stuart Broad dismissed him in his first over. Rahul fell for a duck, hanging his bat away from his body to edge Broad to Ben Stokes at the third slip. His opening partner Murali Vijay looked in good touch, hitting four crisply driven boundaries in his 20 before he fell to James Anderson. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India vs England: Kohli, Pujara tons take India to 317/4

England skipper Alastair Cook said Wednesday his spinners were running high on confidence and could turn the tables on top-ranked India if a turning track was offered in the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

England&#39;s raw spin trio of Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Zafar Ansari shared 13 wickets between them to force the mighty Indians on the backfoot in the drawn first Test in Rajkot.

Leg-spinner Rashid led the charge with seven wickets as the hosts held on to a tense draw after losing six quick wickets on the final afternoon.&nbsp;

On the same track, India&#39;s famed spin attack struggled, with the world number one bowler Ravichandran Ashwin returning a dismal 3-230 -- his worst bowling figures at home since December 2012.

Cook credited the success of his tweakers to former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, whose contract as England&#39;s spin consultant has been extended until the third Test of the ongoing five-match series.

&quot;I thought they bowled excellently as a group of three spinners,&quot; Cook told reporters ahead of the second Test beginning on Thursday.

&quot;Credit to Saqi (Saqlain) coming in and giving those guys confidence to go out and play. They are inexperienced in these conditions but they took a big step forward and it&#39;s great to see that.

&quot;If they continue at that level, like in Rajkot, then there is no reason why we can&#39;t put pressure on Indian batting with our spinners.&quot;

Cook led from the front with a brilliant 130 in the second innings, one of four centuries by the visiting batsmen, to counter the Indian bowlers in their own den.

&quot;We got a good total and we managed to push the game forward to the fifth day.

&quot;Unfortunately we didn&#39;t quite get over the line but we begin afresh 0-0 at the start of the second Test. And we are here to give India a run for their money,&quot; said Cook.

Spin Test

England though face a late selection quandary over pace spearhead Chris Woakes, who is down with a minor knee injury.

Fast bowler Jimmy Anderson would be itching to take the field against India after missing the first Test but Cook admitted he faced tough competition.

India&#39;s spin force of Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra failed to get the desired success on a fast Rajkot track, sharing nine wickets in the two innings.

Indian captain Virat Kohli who had criticised the presence of grass on the Rajkot wicket, is expecting turn in Visakhapatnam, which is set to host its first Test ever.

&quot;It&#39;s a wicket where spinners will find it really nice to bowl on and expect the same going into the game,&quot; said Kohli.

&quot;We want to focus on our strengths and play the cricket that we have as a team at home and put the pressure on the opposition.&quot;

Kohli also confirmed fit-again opener Lokesh Rahul was a certainty in the starting XI, dousing any chance of veteran Gautam Gambhir playing a part in the series.

The left-handed Gambhir, making a comeback to the national side after a gap of two years, scored 29 and a duck.&nbsp;

(AFP) 
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After England's spin trio thrashed India in the first Test, Cook and Co are raring to face the hosts in the second Test in Visakhapatnam

England skipper Alastair Cook said Wednesday his spinners were running high on confidence and could turn the tables on top-ranked India if a turning track was offered in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. England's raw spin trio of Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Zafar Ansari shared 13 wickets between them to force the mighty Indians on the backfoot in the drawn first Test in Rajkot. Leg-spinner Rashid led the charge with seven wickets as the hosts held on to a tense draw after losing six quick wickets on the final afternoon. On the same track, India's famed spin attack struggled, with the world number one bowler Ravichandran Ashwin returning a dismal 3-230 -- his worst bowling figures at home since December 2012. Cook credited the success of his tweakers to former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, whose contract as England's spin consultant has been extended until the third Test of the ongoing five-match series. "I thought they bowled excellently as a group of three spinners," Cook told reporters ahead of the second Test beginning on Thursday. "Credit to Saqi (Saqlain) coming in and giving those guys confidence to go out and play. They are inexperienced in these conditions but they took a big step forward and it's great to see that. "If they continue at that level, like in Rajkot, then there is no reason why we can't put pressure on Indian batting with our spinners." Cook led from the front with a brilliant 130 in the second innings, one of four centuries by the visiting batsmen, to counter the Indian bowlers in their own den. "We got a good total and we managed to push the game forward to the fifth day. "Unfortunately we didn't quite get over the line but we begin afresh 0-0 at the start of the second Test. And we are here to give India a run for their money," said Cook. Spin Test England though face a late selection quandary over pace spearhead Chris Woakes, who is down with a minor knee injury. Fast bowler Jimmy Anderson would be itching to take the field against India after missing the first Test but Cook admitted he faced tough competition. India's spin force of Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra failed to get the desired success on a fast Rajkot track, sharing nine wickets in the two innings. Indian captain Virat Kohli who had criticised the presence of grass on the Rajkot wicket, is expecting turn in Visakhapatnam, which is set to host its first Test ever. "It's a wicket where spinners will find it really nice to bowl on and expect the same going into the game," said Kohli. "We want to focus on our strengths and play the cricket that we have as a team at home and put the pressure on the opposition." Kohli also confirmed fit-again opener Lokesh Rahul was a certainty in the starting XI, dousing any chance of veteran Gautam Gambhir playing a part in the series. The left-handed Gambhir, making a comeback to the national side after a gap of two years, scored 29 and a duck. (AFP)

India vs England: Skipper Cook upbeat ahead of 2nd Test

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India vs England: Kohli, Pujara tons take India to 317/4

India vs England: Skipper Cook upbeat ahead of 2nd Test