Ananova:

Kevin Pietersen overcame India's attempt to unsettle him as he hit his 15th Test century to help England battle back well from a shaky start to their first innings in the final test.

The England captain was unbeaten on 106 at tea on the third day, having led his side to 211 for four in reply to India's 453 - after they had begun this morning by losing their first two wickets for one run.

Pietersen was aggressive from the moment he arrived at the crease and hit 14 fours in a 134-ball innings which included a 'switch-hit' for six off Harbhajan Singh.

In reaching 105, he became the joint third-fastest England player to reach 4,000 Test runs - behind Herbert Sutcliffe and Len Hutton and equalling Jack Hobbs in 45 matches.

His innings was crucial to England's fightback, after they lost two wickets inside the first two overs - Zaheer Khan striking with the third ball of the day to win an lbw verdict against Andrew Strauss.

England were in bigger trouble in the next over, Ishant Sharma continuing Ian Bell's struggles by removing his middle stump with his first delivery.

India captain M S Dhoni immediately tried to unsettle Pietersen by turning to the left-arm spin of Yuvraj Singh - with whom the England captain has had a running battle throughout the series.

Pietersen was fortunate to survive Yuvraj's first delivery - which flew off the inside edge wide of the stumps - and he almost picked out extra cover with a drive off the final ball of the over.

Yuvraj was taken off after that one over, and it took the return of Zaheer midway through the afternoon session to make the next breakthrough - an inswinging yorker earning an lbw success against Alastair Cook.

But Pietersen teamed up in an aggressive 80-run partnership in only 17 overs with Andrew Flintoff to take England to tea without further loss.