India endured a horror start after opting to bat in the third Test at Rajkot, but skipper Rohit Sharma managed to prop them up with an unbeaten 52 by Lunch on the first day.

On a flat pitch, India won a good toss but could not capitalise on it with Mark Wood getting both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill to nick behind in quick succession. India's woes were tripled when Rajat Patidar chipped a catch to short cover in Tom Hartley's first over of the match.

After being reduced to 33/3, India could have dropped further down with the pressure beginning to show at the other end. A watchful Rohit began to chance his arm after spending time on the pitch. But this also resulted in a chance but Root missed a sharp one at slip when Rohit was, on 27, trying to take on Hartley. He also survived another nervous moment when he was adjudged LBW against James Anderson but had it overturned on review where an inside edge was spotted.

Rohit continued to take some calculated chances, and lofted Hartley for a boundary and even danced down to Anderson to barely clear mid on. That bit of luck also led to him cashing in on other boundary opportunities that came his way as he got to his 17th Test fifty.

Ravindra Jadeja, who earned a promotion at No. 5, brought in a left-right combination to the crease and it proved fruitful as the two most experienced batters in this Indian line-up stitched together a 60-run stand.