Chennai: Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood led the England fightback with an unbeaten 129-run partnership to take their team to 172/3 at stumps on the third day of the first Test against India at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium in Chennai.

Strauss 73* (150b, 5x4) and Collingwood 60* (133b, 6x4), who came together at the crease when England were reeling at 43 for 3, took the England lead to 247 runs and put India under pressure.

Opener Strauss, who hit a century in the first innings, hit 5 fours in his 15th Test fifty, while Collingwood notched up his 12th Test fifty with the help of 6 fours to take England to safety.

Earlier, Indian bowlers put England on the back foot by dismissing opener Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and captain Kevin Pietersen in quick succession.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni brought Yuvraj Singh in the attack before Harbhajan Singh and the move worked brilliantly as the left-arm spinner struck with his very first delivery by trapping Pietersen (1) plumb in front of the wicket.

In the previous over, Amit Mishra took the second English wicket when he had Bell (7) caught at forward short leg by Gautam Gambhir off a top-spinner.

England restricted India for 241 on the third day of the Chennai Test. Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored half-century with the ample support by Harbhajan Singh.

Reports by session
1st Session: Runs 86, Wkt 3, Ovr 24
2nd Session: Runs 68, Wkt 4, Ovr 21.4
3rd Session: Runs 104, Wkt 0, Ovr 33

• Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh stretched India's first innings before Panesar & Flintoff finished it off, England began disastrously, but Strauss & Collingwood bailed them out with an unbroken 129-run stand.
• 129-runs added by Strauss & Collingwood without being dismissed for the fourth wicket - a record for England at Chepauk. The eclipsed the 109-run stand between mike Brearley and Tony Greig in 1796-77. This is the highest partnership of this Test so far.
• Four times Andrew Strauss (123 & 52) has registered a hundred and a fifty in the same Test. He had scored 112 & 83 on Test debut against New Zealand at Lord's in 2004.
• Three fifties record by MS Dhoni - a feat accomplished by him for the first time in Test. As a captain, he has posted five fifties in six innings - 356-run at an average of 71.2 in four Test.
• First time in each innings of a Test Kevin Pietersen (4 & 1) has been dismissed on single digit scores.
  

Brief Score: England 316 & 172/3 (Strauss 73*, Collingwood 60*) lead India 241 (MS Dhoni 53, A Flintoff 3/49, MS Panesar 3/65) by 247-runs.
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