India rally as remarkable Pant century leaves England stunned

Rishabh Pant smashed a sensational 146 from 111 deliveries to rescue India from 98-5 on day one of the rescheduled fifth LV= Insurance Test against England, the visitors closing on 338-7 at Edgbaston.

Pant cracked 19 boundaries and four sixes in a blistering assault on a shell-shocked England attack, which had earlier done a fine job of dismantling the Indian top order.

James Anderson (3-52) dismissed both openers before a lengthy rain delay interrupted proceedings, while Matthew Potts (2-85) claimed the key wicket of Virat Kohli (11) as part of a double strike from the Durham seamer soon after the resumption.

Sam Billings then produced a superb diving grab to dismiss Shreyas Iyer (15) as he tickled a glove down the leg side off Anderson, leaving India five down before reaching 100.

But Pant, who had already signalled his intent by charging Anderson early in his innings, launched a quite incredible counter and, ably supported by Ravindra Jadeja (83no) in a 222-run stand, had India in control by stumps, despite the fall of his and Shardul Thakur's wickets late in the day.

As Pant proved, it's a fine batting surface produced at Edgbaston, making England's efforts in the morning, as Ben Stokes opted to bowl first under cloudy skies, all the more impressive.

Shubman Gill (17) couldn't resist a prod at a back-of-a-length delivery dangled outside his off stump that he should have rather left alone, Zak Crawley swallowing up the catch at second slip.

Crawley could have snaffled another, but put down Hanuma Vihari when on six off the bowling of Potts, admittedly a much trickier chance diving away to his right. Stuart Broad (0-53), meanwhile, was denied his 550th Test wicket after Cheteshwar Pujara, initially given out caught