England v India: Hosts well placed to end winless run

Anderson began proceedings on another glorious day by bouncing out Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Mohammed Shami, the India captain gloving an attempted hook behind and Jos Buttler ending the innings with another catch.

Cook was not tempted to put India straight back in again - preferring a rest for his bowlers, who needed 106.1 overs to take their first 10 wickets.

Instead, after Sam Robson edged some seam movement to Bhuvneshwar Kumar to slip, Cook provided solidity and Yorkshire pair Gary Ballance and Root the necessary impetus.

Ballance appeared a little unlucky to be given out caught at short-leg off Ravindra Jadeja (three for 52) with what was therefore the last ball of the morning.

But Ian Bell, like Ballance a first-innings centurion, kicked on too until Jadeja struck again by bowling him round his legs.

Root joined in with a perky 38-ball half-century, containing eight fours, before he was bowled attempting a sweep which ended a 99-run partnership and hastened England's second declaration of the match.

By then Cook, who fell just five runs short of ending his long century drought three days ago, had doubled up with his second 50 here - at a remarkably similar tempo to his first, from 93 balls.

He calculated a minimum 132 overs insured adequately against the improbable and gave England significant prospect of levelling up at 1-1, with two to play.

Cook cashed in an early bonus via the athleticism and accuracy of Stuart Broad, who had just finished a five-over opening spell but was alert enough at square-leg to run out Murali Vijay with a direct hit.

The opener contributed to his own downfall, responding to a call from Shikhar Dhawan for a single from Chris Woakes' first delivery only to run his bat in casually and an inch short - according to third umpire Rob Bailey - when Broad's throw disturbed the bails.

Another bowling change brought near-instant success too an over later, when Moeen Ali struck with only his second ball as Cheteshwar Pujara edged a little extra bounce - and no turn - to be very well-caught by Chris Jordan at slip.

Moeen might easily have had Dhawan lbw soon afterwards, umpire Marais Erasmus deciding otherwise presumably because of doubt whether bat had made contact before pad in forward-defence.

It therefore fell to England's number two part-time off-spinner, Root, to break a half-century stand between Dhawan and Virat Kohli when a modicum of turn had the left-hander edging to Jordan again.

Moeen was back, however, to see off Kohli who again played for spin rather than the ball sliding across him and got a thin edge behind to a juggling Buttler.

Anderson dropped a late caught-and-bowled chance to see off Rohit Sharma cheaply.

Nonetheless, England, who had begun this match in danger of chalking up their longest sequence without victory for 26 years, appeared to be back on track at last, thanks to much graft and skill.