Mumbai - Andrew Strauss ended a run of low scores in the sub-continent to hit 128 and guide England to 272-3 on the first day of the third Test against India.

Strauss put on 106 with debutant Owais Shah and 72 with Kevin Pietersen after India captain Rahul Dravid had surprised many by opting to bowl first as per BBC.

Shah was only playing because of an illness suffered by Alastair Cook.
But he had to retire at tea on 50 with severe cramps in his hands on a hot and humid day in Mumbai.

Ian Bell, opening with Strauss because of Cook's stomach virus, put on 52 for the first wicket before playing a flat-footed drive off Sri Sreesanth which resulted in an easy catch for Harbhajan Singh at point.
 
And right-arm seamer Sreesanth struck again just before stumps when Pietersen (39) edged a drive to Mahendra Dhoni, who had a mixed day with the gloves.

With plenty of grass on the wicket, Dravid expected his three seamers to make good use of the swing on offer.
 
But the helpful bowling conditions did not last long for the Indians, who were inconsistent early on. England were in a powerful position at tea before relinquishing some of their advantage late in the day.

Strauss, who played some fine off-drives and pulls against the seamers, also produced some quality back-foot forcing shots off the spinners as he notched his eighth Test century.

Shah, who came out to bat just before lunch, made his first runs in Test cricket with a slick cut shot off Harbhajan, and did not look as nervous as one might have expected.