India reduced England to 89 for four wickets at lunch on the third day of their second Test at the Lord's here on Saturday.
Alastair Cook (21), Keaton Jennings (11), debutant Ollie Pope (28) and Joe Root (19) were the batsmen to have been dismissed, with England 18 runs behind India's first innings total.
Jonny Bairstow (four not out) was at the crease at the time lunch was taken.
Seamer Mohammed Shami picked up two wickets, while pacer Ishant Sharma and Hardik Pandya took a wicket each.
Beginning the day, Cook and Jennings made a positive start, showing a lot of intent. But a full-pitched delivery missed Jennings' bat and hit his pads, resulting in a LBW decision, with the hosts at 28.
Cook fell soon, as an away-moving delivery from Ishant found an edge and the ball landed in the hands of wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik.
As soon as 20-year-old Pope joined Root in the middle, India captain Virat Kohli decided to bring in chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav to operate from one end. Pope showed a lot of promise, dealing confidently with Ishant, Shami and Kuldeep.
The partnership between Pope and Root had reached 45 runs when a delivery from Pandya dismissed the former. Pope missed the line and was plumb in front of the wicket, with England at 77/3.
The hosts ran further into trouble when Shami was favoured in a LBW appeal against Root to close the session.
Brief scores: England: 89/4 (Ollie Pope 28, Alastair Cook 21; Mohammed Shami 2/37) vs India at lunch on Day 3.
--IANS
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