LONDON: Captain Alastair Cook passed fifty for the third time in four innings to lift England to 148 for one at lunch on the second day of the fifth test against India at The Oval on Saturday.
The hosts, 2-1 up in the series, lost young opener Sam Robson for 37 in the second over before Cook and Gary Ballance shared an unbroken second-wicket partnership of 82 to turn the screw on India who were skittled out for 148 on the opening day.
Cook, emerging from a wretched run of form, was 56 not out at the interval with Ballance on 40.
Robson missed a full straight ball from Arun Aaron which crashed into his off stump to end a first-wicket stand of 66.
Ballance and Cook played comfortably and accumulated runs steadily with crisp strokes off their legs and the odd fluent drive.
Ishant Sharma beat the bat a few times in a hostile spell of pace bowling from the Pavilion End but the Indians looked flat in the field after losing the last two tests heavily.
Cook reached his fifty with a square cut for four off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, his fifth boundary, and England have a solid platform to build a commanding lead as they bid to clinch the series.
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