Lions made to battle

Michael Yardy's team closed the third day on 14 for one, a deficit of 125 runs, with the captain having been dismissed for two before stumps.

It will take some disciplined batting to avert defeat with spin expected to play a major part on a typical subcontinent surface on the final day.

Test opener Wasim Jaffer and teenager Ajinkya Rahane both struck big hundreds, and shared a 342-run stand for the second wicket at the Moti Bagh Stadium.

Both were eventually dismissed by Gloucestershire's Steve Kirby and England Lions ensured the West advantage on first innings was limited to 139 runs after they dismantled the tail swiftly.

The final six wickets tumbled for 44 runs, all shared by spin duo Monty Panesar and Adil Rashid, in a dozen overs - a similar demise to that of the Lions' innings on Tuesday.

Rahane, 19, transformed his third first-class hundred of an impressive debut season into 172 while Jaffer, playing his first match since he returned from the Test tour of Australia, weighed in with 151.

Left with 45 minutes to survive in the evening session, the tourists lost Yardy, who hit 169 first time around, lbw to Siddharth Trivedi.

The run rate proved quite a contrast to the start of West's 494, however, as not a single boundary was struck in 11 overs and the spinners were on in tandem before the close in Vadodara.

Hampshire's Michael Carberry and Middlesex's Joyce were the unbeaten batsman and will both resume the second innings on five not out.