KL Rahul held firm after a flare-up with James Anderson to guide India into a narrow lead at lunch on the third day of the first Test against England at Trent Bridge on Friday.

India were 191-5, eight runs ahead of England’s first-innings 183.

Recalled opener Rahul was 77 not out and Ravindra Jadeja, the last of India’s recognised batsmen, 27 not out in an unbroken partnership of 46.

England took just one wicket in another rain-interrupted session, Rishabh Pant falling for 25.

India, following a second day cut short by bad weather, resumed on 125-4 after England great Anderson took two wickets with successive deliveries — including a golden duck for India captain Virat Kohli.

That moved Anderson into joint third place in the list of all-time leading Test bowlers as he equalled retired India leg-spinner Anil Kumble’s tally of 619 wickets.

Rahul, however, was still there on 57 not out after only being recalled to open when Mayank Agarwal was ruled out having been hit on the head batting in the nets on Monday.

But he should have been out for 52 when he edged Anderson only for Dom Sibley to drop a routine catch at second slip.

Left-hander Pant, seven not out overnight thrashed Anderson’s fifth ball of the day through extra cover with a flourish for a typically aggressive four only for rain to then stop play for nearly an hour.

When play resumed, Rahul and Anderson were involved in an onfield row.

Rahul, with light rain falling, headed towards the pavilion because he thought the match should be halted again, prompting an angry response from Anderson, before umpire Michael Gough made it clear to the players that they were staying on the field.

Pant, meanwhile, continued to play his natural game, top-edging a six over fine leg off Ollie Robinson.

But Robinson, whose dismissal of Rohit Sharma had sparked India’s collapse from 97-0, had his revenge when Pant mistimed a drive straight to short cover, with India now 145-5.

Rahul, already involved in the run-out of Ajinkya Rahane, nearly condemned Jadeja to a similar fate when he pushed Robinson into the covers and set off for a reckless single.

But Dan Lawrence missed with a shy at the stumps when he had time to throw the ball to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.

Stuart Broad, six years to the day since he took a stunning 8-15 in an Ashes Test against Australia at Trent Bridge, his Nottinghamshire home ground, came on as first-change Friday.

Broad thought he had Rahul, on 70, edging to Buttler and unleashed one of his trademark ‘celebration appeals’.

But umpire Richard Kettleborough ruled in Rahul’s favour and England used their last review of the innings trying to overturn a verdict upheld by replay technology.

© Agence France-Presse

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