India and England lined up for day one of the third Test in Kolkata with the sides level at one apiece from the opening two matches.
India won the crucial toss and opted to bat, but Alastair Cook's side had the better of the proceedings in each session.
Gautam Gambhir played well for a 60 and Sachin Tendulkar managed 74, although it was a very cagey knock.
Aside from those two scores the bowing of Jimmy Anderson and particularly Monty Panesar meant England never had to wait too long for wickets and they will look to wrap up the innings early tomorrow.
See how the action unfolded below.
Good morning everyone. It was another important toss this morning and once again it has gone to India. MS Dhoni has opted for India to bat first.
Will England ever have a captain who can win coin tosses? That's Cook's fifth loss from his five Tests as skipper.
There's two changes for the tourists despite the comprehensive win in Mumbai. Ian Bell is back in for Jonny Bairstow with Steven Finn replacing Stuart Broad in the bowing department.
For India, just the one change. They've decided to go with seamer Ishant Sharma instead of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.
So the India team in full: V Sehwag, G Gambhir, CA Pujara, SR Tendulkar, V Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, I Sharma, R Ashwin, Z Khan, PP Ojha
And England's: AN Cook, NRD Compton, IJL Trott, KP Pietersen, IR Bell, SR Patel, MJ Prior, GP Swann, ST Finn, MS Panesar, JM Anderson
It's an interesting move by India to bring in a seamer for a spinner. The pitch is slightly harder than Mumbai's at day one so perhaps the spin won't be as vital as it was last time. That said, England will be hoping so as Graeme Swann and especially Monty Panesar tore through the Indians in Mumbai.
If indeed there is more in the pitch for seamers, then bringing in Finn could be a good move. He and Jimmy Anderson could be bowling on the best day for pace, depending on how the pitch develops over the next five.
Back to the toss. Cook has admitted that he would have chosen to bat first too. He told Sky Sports News: "We would have batted first here today, but if we play like we did in Mumbai we have a great chance."
The teams are coming out and we're a couple of minutes away now.
Gautam Gambhir and Virendar Sehwag to face Anderson to start.
Couple of early leaves from Gambhir before turning one away leg side for a single. Anderson gets a shade of outswing to the right-hander Sehwag, who feels out three deliveries.
Finn takes the ball and is clipped away to fine leg for four first ball and Gambhir gets a thick edge through slips for another. He picks up a single and there's an appeal against Sehwag but he didn't get an edge - bat hit pad there.
Anderson gets some bounce which is promising and a touch of movement both ways. His line is good against the left-handed Gambhir but then tosses one up full for an easy half-volley square of the wicket. All the runs have come from Gambhir so far.
Sehwag gets off the mark with a rising back foot four through the cover region, the only runs off Finn's second over.
Anderson bowling a little wide to Gambhir and the batsman can comfortably leave a few deliveries. Anderson comes round the wicket and a ball keeps low with two bounces to Matt Prior. His final ball gets some good swing and Gambhir chops and misses. Good maiden from Anderson.
Two runs on the off side for Sehwag, and he fends away another for a single.
Big shot from Sehwag square brings two runs before an outside edge flashes past Kevin Pietersen at narrow gully but it goes for four. Another single brings up seven from the over and a solid start for India. Half-hearted appeals for LBW against Gambhir but there hasn't been anything worthy of a good appeal just yet.
Panesar is in early to replace Finn in the seventh over. Sehwag gets a single off the third ball before Gambhir cuts for four. Not too much sign of early spin, unfortunately for England.
Anderson continues and Sehwag again edges one through the gully area, but Pietersen is still too fine. He finally is moved and Sehwag picks up another single. Minimal appeal against Gambhir but it was going down leg side.
Gambhir comes down to hit Panesar down the ground for four before the spinner finds some bounce and misses the edge. He comes down again and picks up two more runs on the off side.
Wicket! Sehwag (23) run out Prior. It's terrible from India and Sehwag is run out by Matt Prior on day one in Kolkata! He returned for an easy three but Gambhir was having none of it and the partnership is broken. Sehwag will be furious there.
A real bonus of a wicket there and India's batting dangerman Cheteshwar Pujara is in. He's off the mark early for one as Anderson gets no bounce again after hitting a crack.
Panesar continues and Pujara gets one early on, before an outside edge from Gambhir falls comfortably clear - it's the bounce rather than spin from Panesar that's causing the most problems at the moment.
The runs have slowed since the wicket as Che Pujara finds his feet with one run down the leg side. The pitch looks absolutely atrocious for a day one pitch. Gambhir plays nicely behind square for four.
Monty keeps Pujara on the defensive with some good, tight bowling for a maiden.
Bit of zip and uneven bounce for Finn, who is back in the attack. Gambhir cannot work any runs and it's another maiden over.
Pujara continues to be cautious against Panesar and the spinner gets his second maiden running. It's been a while since the last run.
Great line from Finn produces some bounce that nips past Gambhir's edge, before a fuller delivery is lashed through gully for four.
Pujara finally comes to life, some good footwork and he flicks through mid-wicket for four. Then Panesar gets one to turn and bounce but Pujara does well to keep it down off the shoulder of his bat.
Gambhir runs a quick one and Pujara flicks off his pads for another. Finn finds some pace but the line means it is easy for Gambhir to let the ball run to Prior.
Pujara clips leg side for a couple, before a big appeal against him goes unanswered. The 24-year-old moves well to slot a four through mid-wicket.
Fantastic timing from Gambhir for four through cover as he latches on to a full, slightly wide one from Finn. The length he's bowling should see some bounce, but most are going through at hip-height. Gambhir leaves one that was probably a little closer to the stumps than he thought.
Easy single for Pujara to start Panesar's over, before Gambhir drives one through cover for four. It didn't race off the bat but it's a quick outfield. Anderson fields well as the left-hander picks up another single for six off the over.
Swann replaces Finn and Gambhir picks up an early single off him by clipping off his legs. Pujara defends the rest of the over to get the measure of the off-spinner.
Panesar continues and Ghambir picks up a single on the off side. Pujara continues to do his best Rahul Dravid impersonation then picks up a single of his own. Another one for the left-hander and these two are keeping things ticking over right now.
Cautious start from Gambhir against Swann as he blocks half an over before clipping fine to leg for four. It leaves the opener on 49.
Wicket! Pujara (16) b Panesar
Fantastic celebration from Monty as he gets one through the Pujara wall. It doesn't turn too much but the length causes confusion and Pujara gets a slight edge on to middle stump. Huge wicket and now Sachin Tendulkar at the crease.
Tendulkar blocks out the final two deliveries of the over in front of an aggressive field to him. Wicket-maiden from Panesar.
Swift single through the off side brings up Gambhir's 21st Test fifty! He's batted very well for it and has rarely been troubled. Tendulkar gets off the mark with a clip off his legs and there's an appeal that goes to the third umpire...
Frankly a ridiculous decision as it bounces off the ground and Bell's foot before he catches it. Obviously no wicket.
Bit of turn for Swann to end the over; just a couple off it.
Monty continues and a thick inside edge from Tendulkar misses the stumps. He recovers well to defend the remaining balls and it's another maiden for Panesar.
Lunch: Anderson returns to the attack just before the break, an over that Gambhir sees out for no runs.
England have one more wicket than they should do - the run out of Sehwag was absurd. However, Panesar has bowled well in his 11 overs, despite the pitch lacking in everything but flatness. Gambhir batted very well for his 50, although he was at fault for the run out, and the session must go down as even.
Lunch time for the players, and I think breakfast for me. We'll be back with the second session in roughly half an hour - join me then.
Welcome back. We're a few minutes away from the afternoon session. On this pitch England will be delighted to have picked up two wickets. An early wicket in this session and it could be a really solid start to the Test match.
The players are out. Panesar will pick up the ball to continue his spell.
Tendulkar defends at the start of the first over after lunch. He tries to open up to mid-wicket but there's no run there. He has just one from 15 balls as Monty picks up another maiden.
Anderson continues and Gambhir starts the session cautiously with leaves and blocks and the Burnley express gets himself a maiden, too.
Tendulkar gets the session underway with a flick to leg, then Gambhir gets a single with a shot to mid-on. Just two from the over.
Gambhir shows solid defence to Anderson as he blocks the first four balls, before opening up the face of his bat to drive through the covers. A lovely shot.
It's still Panesar and Tendulkar is still on the defensive, but gets lucky with a thick edge through the gully area for his first four of the day to bring up the hundred for India.
Gambhir happy to let most of Anderson's deliveries go by and block the odd straighter one. A bit more bounce and carry since lunch for the seamer and there was a hint of outswing on the last delivery.
It's an interesting battle between Monty and Sachin. So far the batsman is equal to the challenge, but the run rate is very low on Panesar's overs. A minor appeal for LBW on the last ball, but not even close and there was an edge.
Finn replaces Anderson at the High Court End. His first ball is swatted for a single on the off side, then he tests the bounce with a short one - Tendulkar had to duck so there's not much! Quick single gets Sachin off strike and Gambhir waggles at a pearler from Finn, but no edge.
It's definitely a deliberate effort for Sachin to try to play himself in, and he wants to be on strike against Panesar rather than the quicks. More blocks from the over and Tendulkar now has eight from 36 after earning a single.
A misfield from Anderson helps Tendulkar to a single and Gambhir resumes his leaving game against Finn. That is until a short cut goes to the third man boundary for four.
Tendulkar's slow progress against Monty continues with five dot balls and a single to get him on strike against Finn.
Panesar can't get to the ball at third man as Tendulkar clips off his pads for a four - in truth he should have stopped it. Finn gets one a little closer to the stumps and the lack of bounce has Sachin worried briefly as he leaves, then another delivery just misses the edge. Another four down to long on means an expensive over, but his final ball again comes close to the outside of Tendulkar's bat.
Wicket! Gambhir (60) c Trott b Panesar
Slightly shorter from Panesar and Gambhir is deceived enough to get a thick edge to Jonathan Trott at slip, who holds on for a very good catch. Big breakthrough as he was looking in good nick.
Virat Kohli is the new batsman and he opens by defending the remaining ball to leave Panesar with a wicket-maiden.
Tendulkar troubled slightly by a short one from Finn but escapes with a single off his arm. Kohli continues to leave and block and it's just the one from the over.
A punch down the ground gets Tendulkar another single, before Kohli repeats the trick to get off the mark after 11 deliveries. Panesar finds a good bit of spin outside Sachin's off stump, but it does too much to get an edge. There's a break for drinks.
A bowling change and it's Anderson back in to replace Finn. Cook seems set on the spin-seam combination from either end. Anderson immediately gets a thick inside edge from Kohli on to his legs but safe. A good bit of fielding from Finn keeps India down to just one run from a Kohli hit to mid-on and Anderson then sends down a delicious inswinging yorker that Tendulkar defends well.
Panesar is given the ball for his 19th over with Kohli still struggling for runs. He doesn't add to his total of two from 20.
Anderson mixes up his lengths and gets a good bit of bounce, brushing Tendulkar's shoulder on the way past. He then gets a thick outside edge to slip, which goes for four. It didn't look like it quite carried to Swann. Another two and Tendulkar is starting to pick up the pace. A single from a clip to leg ends the over.
Tendulkar continues to play cautiously to Panesar. Four byes go on the board as a looping delivery hardly bounces and goes through the legs of Prior. Only those runs from the over.
Wicket! Kohli (6) c Swann b Anderson
It's the wicket Anderson deserved! A rare catch at slip from a seamer this series. Kohli picked up four through mid-on and on the very next delivery edged it and the ball just carried to Swann at second slip. Yuvraj Singh is in.
Swann had the presence of mind to move forward and if he hadn't that would have fallen short. The over is complete without further runs from it.
Panesar's spell is finally at an end as Swann replaces him for only his fourth over. Tendulkar picks up two through cover to move on to 28.
Huge appeal for LBW against Yuvraj but it looked very close. Replays make it look even closer - I think he's got away with that one. To me that's hit in line and would be hitting leg stump. It's confirmed that if DRS was available, that would have been out. A couple of balls later Anderson fizzes one past the edge and Yuvraj gets off the mark with a single. That's not a bad decision per se, but the lack of DRS could have stopped Rod Tucker making that tough call perhaps?
Another big LBW appeal at Yuvraj. Dharmasena says no as there were two noises, but it did hit pad first. To rub it in, Yuvraj hits Swann for consecutive fours - square on the off side then straight down the ground.
Tendulkar edges one through the slips for four from Anderson, before a better shot behind square brings up another.
A single form Yuvraj and a paddle-sweep from Sachin from Swann's over before good blocking sees out the rest of the over.
Finn replaces Anderson and gives away a no-ball. Singh swings at a wide one and gets nowhere near it, and gets no other rund from the over.
Tendulkar edges towards his 50 with another four to Panesar's boundary and an edge through slips gets him another one. He's been streaky for sure, but he's nearly there.
Yuvraj picks up a single form Finn and, for the first time today, the bowler kicks the stumps. Looks like one more over before tea.
Tea: Yuvraj plays a good shot through mid-off for four for the only runs of the over.
Another two wickets in the afternoon session for England and provided Yuvraj and Tendulkar don't forge too strong a partnership this could be a good day for England. If you'd have offered Cook 172-4 for his bowlers after losing the toss, I reckon he'd have taken it.
Time for a quick break. Do come back in 20 minutes for the final session of this opening day.
Welcome back. The teams are out and we're about to get back underway. Finn will take the ball first.
First ball after tea and Tendulkar clips for four on the leg side to bring up his fifty, then a hook to the opposite boundary for another. It was a really tough half-century that, but he's looking more aggressive now. Another two come off the final ball of the over and Sachin is upping his game.
Panesar replaces Swann and Yuvraj comes down the pitch to smack him back over his head for six!. A sweep brings up a single and seven from the over.
Yuvraj gets off strike with a single; there's less ferocity in Finn's bowling since tea. Tendulkar lifts a shot over cover for another single - Panesar just fielding!
A maiden from Monty and the two batsmen trade singles at the start of Finn's next over. The partnership is well into the 50s now - 59, to be exact.
Four leg byes as the ball clips the top of Tendulkar's pad and runs past Prior. Another four follows to fine leg to bring up the 200 for India.
Swann is in to replace Finn, and Yuvraj gets an early single with a clip to leg, which is to be the only run from the over.
Another Monty over passes with just the one run. He's doing a really good job keeping the runs down, even with India looking to attack this session.
Swann bowls a short one and Yuvraj is on to it to pull over mid-wicket for four. He follows up with a sweep for a single, before Tendulkar gets a four of his own to record nine in total from the over.
Again just one from Monty's over, from Yuvraj.
Wicket! Yuvraj (32) c Cook b Swann
The ball from Swann didn't really do a lot. It was a bit short and Yuvraj did little more than swat it to Cook at cover. Poor shot and the partnership is now broken.
The new batsman Dhoni attacks straight away and drops one just short of Patel on the leg side. It ends a good wicket-maiden from Swann.
Dhoni, who has opted for cap rather than helmet, is struggling to get off the mark. Just a single from Tendulkar in that over and Dhoni has none from eight.
Very few runs at the moment. A good over from Swann is runless until Tendulkar nicks a single off his pads to regain the strike from the nervous looking Dhoni.
Panesar gets his length and line right to Tendulkar, who can only block for another maiden. Now Swann can have a go at Dhoni.
In fact it's Anderson, and on goes Dhoni's helmet. The captain is off the mark with a nudge past the slips for two, and then cuts away for an unorthodox four. He's up and running though.
A Tendulkar drive is well parried by Patel to save two runs but there's no stopping a wonderful cover drive a couple of shots later. You wouldn't bet against his ton now after a very shaky 50.
Wicket! Tendulkar (76) c Prior b Anderson
Curse of the commentator strikes... He's gone just as he was looking good for the first time in his innings. Anderson bowls a teaser just outside off stump and it's edged to Prior, who clings on to it with the help of the inside of his elbow! Ashwin is in, who can bat.
A calamity of errors! Ashwin picks up a single and when they run from Dhoni's flick there's a massive mix-up and a certain run-out. Finn thinks he's got no time and fumbles. Poor all round.
Panesar back in. A good four from Dhoni to the off side boundary are the only runs of the over.
Great bouncer from Anderson just at the height that caught Ashwin in two minds whether to duck or play. Anderson swinging the ball in well and in the end no runs come from his over. New ball available in three overs but there's no hurry to take it right now.
Dhoni and Ashwin exchange flicks for singles and the former sees out the rest of the Panesar over.
Anderson bowling Ashwin around the crease and the batsman waggles at one just outside off stump. The next ball comes into the pads and England appeal but it looks to have done too much. Ashwin recovers to hit a four square of gully and then two to follow.
Dhoni comes down the pitch to Panesar, but makes a meal of it and the ball hits his pad some five yards out of his crease. He then pops one on the off side for a quick two.
Finn replaces Anderson. Ashwin clips for a single and Dhoni cuts through point for a well-run two.
Two off Panesar's next over and the spinner is still not giving away many.
This pair are keeping the score ticking over. Three singles come from Finn's bowling and there's not been much threat to their wickets over the last few overs. Maybe the new ball should be taken, then?
One from Monty's umpteenth over of the day.
A quick single takes Dhoni to 19 off 48. It's been slow progress for him but he's always capable of turning it up a notch. Finn fizzes in a bouncer to keep Ashwin on his toes but he's tall and deals with it comfortably. He tries again but it's too far down leg side to get a nick.
Swann is in for Panesar. Dhoni takes a quick single before Ashwin finds a gap through cover to run an easy two. Four overs left in the day, can England get another wicket to really give them the edge?
England take the new ball. Good timing just before the end of the day for the seamers, Finn first, to unsettle this pair. Both batsmen get singles, with Ashwin pulling well for his. Dhoni takes a blow and Ashwin grabs the opportunity to run a quick single. Ashwin pulls again and Patel fields well on the boundary to stop the four.
It's Panesar from the other end with the new cherry, and it's Panesar again with a maiden. Superb stuff from Monty today.
Now Anderson replaces Finn. Cook must want to give each of his bowlers a go with the new ball. Delicious four from Ashwin, clipping a full delivery off his pads through mid-wicket but then Wicket! Ashwin (21) b Anderson.
It's the perfect time for that seventh wicket. Ashwin was looking dangerous and Jimmy responded to that four by smacking one straight on to middle stump. Into the tail now, it was vital to get the handy Ashwin out. Zaheer Khan in now.
Zaheer sees out the over and we have one left in the day.
End of day one! Dhoni nicks a single and Panesar has five deliveries to Khan. Catchers around the bat as England sense a final wicket of the day. A looping one nearly squeezes under Zaheer's defences before a wide delivery goes all the way through for leg byes.
That has to go down as England's day. They lost what was billed as a vital toss and were sent out to field. They took vital wickets in each session and but for a good 60 by Gambhir and a nervous 74 from Tendulkar India struggled with both Panesar and Anderson.
Thanks for joining Sports Mole for today's action. Be sure to join me tomorrow as I bring you commentary of what should be a gripping day's Test cricket.
