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MOHALI- A half-century partnership between Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen pulled England out of dire early trouble Sunday on day three of the second test against India.
Responding to India's first innings score of 453, England lost opener Andrew Strauss (0) and Ian Bell (1) with just one run on the board, but by lunch the tourists were 2-57 after dense fog delayed the start of play by 1-1/2 hours.
Cook was batting on 25 and skipper Kevin Pietersen was on 28, with both scoring at a good pace.
Strauss, who became the first England batsman to score centuries in both innings of a Test match on Indian soil in the first Test, was out to the third ball of the day. Zaheer Khan (1-24) trapped him lbw with a delivery that seamed away after pitching on the leg stump.
Bell had his middle stump dislodged by an inswinging first delivery from pace bowler Ishant Sharma (1-26) that went through the gap between bat and pad.
India leads the series 1-0 after winning the opening test in Chennai by six wickets.
- AP
