Mohali: India claimed two wickets late in the day to seize the initiative after Kevin Pietersen led a spirited England fightback with a scintillating 144 on the third day of the second and final cricket Test on Sunday.

As England were precariously poised at one run for loss of two wicket in just seven balls this morning, Pietersen raised 103 runs with Alastair Cook 50 to arrest the slide before putting on another 149 with Andrew Flintoff 62 as the visitors finished the day at 282 for six.

The game has changed in the last 10 minutes and that's also the end of play, so India have struck with the last ball of the day's play. It was a brilliant catch by Gambhir, getting his hand underneath the ball. So India will feel justified in their tactics and will be eyeing a lead of over 100 tomorrow morning.

But we shouldn't forget Pietersen's century, a brilliant innings that has kept England alive. While he and Flintoff were together all things were possible, but now they will have to rely on Matt Prior and the bowlers to get whatever they can and eke the total closer to India's 453.

The morning began sensationally. Andrew Strauss, the man in form, fell walking across the wicket to Zaheer Khan, and Ian Bell, the man out form, had his middle stump uprooted by Ishant Sharma. But a scoreline of 2 for 1 was the inspiration Pietersen needed to score his first Test hundred, in India

Reports by session
1st Session: Runs 57, Wkt 2, Ovr 12
2nd Session: Runs 154, Wkt 2, Ovr 36
3rd Session: Runs 71, Wkt 2, Ovr 25

Day 3 Highlights

• 149-runs added by Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff for the fifth wicket. It is the highest stand between them. They surpassed previous best of 103, also for the same wicket against Australia at Birmingham in 2005.
• 15 centuries scored by KP in 45 Tests. This is third ton against India, and firt in India in five match. 2nd hundred as a captain.
• 9th batsmem who have crossed 1000 runs this year, with England's skipper Pietersen becoming the latest to do so. He followed Smith, Sehwag, Amla, Laxman, Sachin, De Villers, Gambhir and McKenzie.
• Three successive fifties scored by Andrew Flintoff at Mohali. He made 62 in 132 balls, and hit six fours and a six. His previous two scores at PCA 70 and 51 in 2005-06

Brief Score: England 282 for 6 (Pietersen 144, Flintoff 62, Cook 50) trail India 453 by 171 runs
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