RANCHI, India (AP) Murali Vijay scored his 15th half-century as India reached 193-2 at lunch on day three of the third cricket test here, trailing Australia by 258 runs.
At the break, Cheteshwar Pujara was unbeaten on 40, with Virat Kohli padded up to bat next. Vijay scored 82 runs.
Starting from India's overnight 120-1, Vijay and Pujara dropped anchor early and looked set for a hard grind. Australia didn't make scoring any easy, as they bowled a tight line.
Only 24 runs came in the first hour of play as Vijay got to his half-century off 129 balls. But thereafter things opened more as Nathan Lyon (0-58) came on to bowl.
First, Steve O'Keefe (1-67) had a loud shout for lbw against Pujara turned down in the 58th over. Australia opted for DRS review, but the replays showed just enough evidence that Pujara got an inside edge just before the ball hit his pad.
In the next over, however, Vijay, on 58 not out, nicked one off Lyon to short leg. Umpire Ian Gould failed to give the batsman out, but the visitors had exhausted all their reviews by then.
Vijay and Pujara then brought up their 100-partnership off 232 balls. In all, they added 102 runs for the second wicket.
Australia stepped up the intensity thereafter, and had a couple loud shouts again, but none as close as the earlier appeals in this session.
Against the run of play then, Vijay was stumped off O'Keefe in the last over before lunch, a clear error in judgment from the batsman. He faced 183 balls for his 82, and hit 10 fours as well as a six.
Australia scored 451 runs in their first innings across days one and two, thanks to Steve Smith's 178 runs and Glenn Maxwell's maiden test hundred (104). Ravindra Jadeja picked up 5-124.
The four-match series is level at 1-1. Australia won the first test at Pune by 333 runs, and India leveled with a 75-run win in Bangalore.
