India remained on top after the first day's play at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad after finishing with 99/3 at the stumps with the bat. The hosts bowled out England for a paltry 112 after the visitors decided to bat first in the third Test of the four-match series.
India had a sedate start to their batting innings, with both the openers taking their time, getting adjusted to the ball's movement under the lights. Shubman Gill, although hit two smashing boundaries, didn't look his usual confident self and handed a simple catch to the short mid-wicket fielder, attempting to pull on a Jofra Archer bouncer.
Cheteshwar Pujara didn't trouble the scorers as he went for a four-baller, getting trapped in front of the wicket by left-arm spinner Jack Leach.
After which Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli forged a much-needed partnership and established the innings. Rohit reached his 12th Test half-century. The duo stitched a fifty-run partnership, however, Kohli couldn't continue for long as Leach dismissed him for 27 in the final over of the day.
But this batting innings followed an exceptional performance from the bowling unit, especially the local bowler, Axar Patel. Patel took his second five-wicket haul in as many matches on the way to his best figures in the format yet as he finished with 6/38. Patel accounted for the wickets of Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad.
The off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin added three more wickets to his tally as he now stands on 397 wickets for India, playing in the whites.
Earlier, England had won the toss and chose to bat in the Day-night Test. While England made four changes getting James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow and Zak Crawley back in the line-up, India made two changes, getting Washinton Sundar in place of Kuldeep Yadav and pacer Jasprit Bumrah was back in the side at the expense of Mohammed Siraj.
The fast-bowler Ishant Sharma, who is playing his 100th Test match provided the first breakthrough for the hosts as he dismissed the opener, Dom Sibley, for a duck. England didn't recover from that blow, local boy Axar Patel pegged them again dismissing Jonny Bairstow for another duck as England were reduced to 27/2.
