_{INDIA bowlers were made to work hard due to some obdurate Essex batting on day two of the tour match at Chelmsford.}

_{The home side reached 237-5 after half-centuries from former England batsman Tom Westley and Michael Pepper, playing only his second game for the county.}

_{India were earlier bowled out for 395 after resuming on 322-6.}

_{India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has so far played no part in the match after taking a blow to the right hand during practice before the second day.}

_{This is India’s only red-ball warm-up match before the first Test against England begins at Edgbaston on Wednesday.}

_{It was shortened from four days to three at the request of the visitors because of concerns over the high temperatures and their tight schedule.}

_{And, in sweltering conditions, their pace bowlers were given a workout by the impressive Pepper in particular.}

_{After Essex were reduced to 45-2, 20-year-old Pepper played elegantly for 68, overshadowing Westley’s scratchy 57.}

_{With all 18 members of the squad available to India, they used five pace bowlers – only two overs of spin were sent down by Ravi Jadeja.}

_{And, after Westley and Pepper were dismissed, two wickets each to Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma looked to have India on the way to rolling the lower order.}

_{But from 186-5, veteran wicketkeeper James Foster shared an unbroken stand of 51 with Paul Walter to see Essex to the close.}

_{Earlier, Dinesh Karthik fell to his first ball for 82, while Hardik Pandya became the fifth India batsman to register a half-century. (BBC Sport)}