KL Rahul’s classy effort and Ravindra Jadeja’s measured aggression carried India to 309 for five at tea for a slender yet significant lead despite a spirited fight by England bowlers on the second day of the first Test here on Friday.

India are now 63 runs ahead of the visitors, with Ravindra Jadeja (45 batting) and KS Bharat (9 batting) manning the crease.

Despite that lead, the more prevalent feeling inside the Indian camp after the second session of the day will be one of slight disappointment, as none of their set frontline batters did not score a hundred.

Throughout his 123-ball 86, Rahul was a picture of imperious timing and meticulous shot-selection. He also seemed to have imbibed a lot of confidence from that hundred against South Africa last month at Centurion.

The way he dealt with the leg-spin of Rehan Ahmed was breathtaking, biffing him for two sixes in the space of four balls.

Rahul moved closer to the ball and deposited it over the sight-screen for the first maximum, and then rocked back to smoke an absolute pie over mid-wicket for another six.

It was total domination from a batter who showed the right kind of technique to negate a slightly tacky pitch.

But all the hard work was undone when Rahul pulled a half-tracker by left-arm spinner Tom Hartely to pick Ahmed, the lone fielder in the deep at mid-wicket.

With it, he also missed a chance to achieve the rare feat of scoring a hundred in the 50th Test. But Jadeja’s ability to manage risks effectively kept India on the hunt.

Shreyas Iyer (35) offered a similar story. The right-hander scratched around for a good part of his 63-ball stay and seemed to have weathered the storm, especially against pacer Mark Wood who tested him with a slew of short-pitched deliveries.

But Shreyas let the opportunity to build on slip away when he played a slog sweep of Ahmed to give a simple catch to Hartley at deep mid-wicket and the Mumbaikar will need efforts with more substance to fight for his place when Virat Kohli returns from the third Test.

India made 87 runs in the middle passage of the day, losing two wickets, and it would have been even tougher for India had the England bowlers been more consistent with their lines and lengths in this period.

Though slow in nature, there was enough spin to exploit in the pitch.

But apart from part-timer Joe Root, the three first-choice spinners could not really manage to deny scoring avenues for the Indian batters.

Despite the loss of crucial wickets, India had a fruitful first session, scoring 103 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill fell victim to England's early strikes, but the positive run rate of nearly 4 runs per over alleviated pressure on the incoming batsmen.

The KL Rahul-Shreyas Iyer partnership, contributing 63 runs, brought India within striking distance of England's first-innings total by the lunch break. The session belonged to India, and the onus is now on the current partnership between Jadeja and Bharat to capitalize on the foundation laid by their predecessors and guide India to an imposing first-innings score.

The relentless scoring rate has not only kept England on the defensive but also showcased India's intent to dominate the proceedings. As the day progresses, the Indian side aims to build on this momentum, maximize the lead, and create a commanding position in the ongoing contest.

KL Rahul’s unruffled fifty formed the fulcrum as India reached 222 for three at lunch to close the gap, despite England spinners producing a better effort, on the second day of the first Test here on Friday.

Rahul (55 batting) and Shreyas Iyer (34 batting) are at the crease as India, resuming from their overnight 119 for one, now trail England by 24 runs. The visitors were bowled out for 246 in their first innings on Day 1.

Rahul was all imperious timing and he seemed to have imbibed a lot of confidence from that hundred against South Africa earlier this month at Centurion.

The conditions at the RGI Stadium were vastly different from the SuperSport Park but no less challenging, especially with England tweakers settling into an improved rhythm, reports PTI.

But, Rahul held his ground firmly with his technical correctness coming to the fore against both spinners and pacer, helping India to make 103 runs at 3.81 runs per over.

The Bengaluru man used his ballet-dancer feet well to meet Tom Hartely’s delivery midway to smote it through the long-on for a boundary.

If that showed his light footwork, his impeccable timing was on view when he punched pacer Mark Wood through the covers for a four.

Rahul’s ability to improvise was there for all to see when he paddle-pulled Wood for a four behind square leg, and he soon brought up his 14th Test fifty with a single off Joe Root.

But at the other end, Shreyas, who helped Rahul milk 63 runs for the ongoing fourth-wicket stand, was not entirely comfortable, especially when Wood tested him with a few short-pitched balls.

England positioned a deep third man, deep fine leg and deep backward square leg to trap him, but the Mumbaikar survived the barrage to fight another session.

Even leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed managed to find an outside edge of Shreyas’ bat, but the ball landed inches short of Root at first slip.

However, India made an inauspicious start to the day, losing overnight batter Yashasvi Jaiswal in the fourth ball of the day's first over.

Jaiswal biffed a four through long-on in the second ball of that over but his attempt for an encore two balls later resulted in a tame return catch to Root.

England were understandably delighted after that wicket because an extended stay for Jaiswal would have further pushed them to the backfoot.

Gill, the other overnight batter, too could not kick on as his attempt to swat Hartley ended in the hands of Ben Duckett at mid-wicket, giving the left-arm spinner his maiden Test wicket.

Earlier, after spinners put England batters through a harsh scrutiny, Yashasvi Jaiswal rolled out his own version of ‘Bazball’ en route to a crushing fifty as India posted 119 for one to take the upper hand on day one of the opening Test on Thursday.

At Day one stumps, Jaiswal and Shubman Gill were at the crease and the hosts are 127 runs in arrears of England’s anaemic first innings total of 246, which was built around skipper Ben Stokes’ hardheaded 88-ball 70.

Scoreboard

England 1st innings: 246 all out India 1st innings: (Overnight 119/1) Yashasvi Jaiswal c and b Root 80 Rohit Sharma c Stokes b Jack Leach 24 Shubman Gill c Duckett b Tom Hartley 23 KL Rahul c Rehan Ahmed b Tom Hartley 86 Shreyas Iyer c Tom Hartley b Rehan Ahmed 35 Ravindra Jadeja batting 45 Srikar Bharat batting 9 Extras: (B-1, LB-2, NB-2, W-2) 7 Total: (for 5 wickets in 76 overs) 309 Fall of wickets: 1-80, 2-123, 3-159, 4-223, 5-288.

Bowling: Mark Wood 9-0-35-0, Tom Hartley 23-0-113-2, Jack Leach 18-4-44-1, Rehan Ahmed 15-3-77-1, Joe Root 11-1-37-1.