England’s openers Haseeb Hameed and Alastair Cook have all but made sure that they cannot lose the first Test against India at Rajkot after adding 114 runs for the first wicket on Saturday.

Hameed registered a half-century in his debut Test as he, along with captain Cook, helped stretch England’s lead to 163 runs with all 10 wickets in hand by the close of play.

Earlier, the visitors bowled India out for 488 and established a 49-run first innings lead.

At one stage it looked like India might have had to settle for a much lower score when skipper Virat Kohli was dismissed hit wicket and the score read 361-6.

It was Ravichandran Ashwin’s knock of 70 that helped them get close to England’s first innings total in the end. Wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha also made a crucial contribution, scoring 35 runs in a 64-run partnership with Ashwin.

Leg-spinner Adil Rashid was the most successful bowler for England – picking up four wickets. The other spinners in the English side, Zafar Ansari and Moeen Ali, claimed two scalps each.

On a pitch that still seems to be aiding batting, something spectacular needs to happen if we are to see a result on day five.

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