Pant, Rahul give India an edge

• Rishabh Pant, an Indian cricketer, has been a standout performer in Test whites.

• On Day four of the opening Test against England, Pant scored his second ton of the match, joining six other Indians.

• Pant and overnight batter K.L. Rahul combined for 195 first-rate runs for the fourth wicket.

• India’s lead swelled to 293 with four sessions left.

• Pant started with a shaky approach, but he eventually buckled down.

• Rahul’s batting was effective, leaving the ball outside off and playing those coming in with soft hands.

• Rahul’s unflappable batting continued after the break, attacking only the bad balls.

• Pant’s ninth century was seventh outside the subcontinent, and he finished his century with a hard-run double.

• Pant’s performance was a symbolic knock-out punch, with Joe Root smashed for two fours and a six the next over.