India dismissed Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope to take charge of the final test as England moved unconvincingly on to 164-3 at lunch on the fourth day at The Oval on Sunday.
The touring side are a healthy 209 runs ahead with five sessions remaining and need seven more wickets for a victory that would level a gripping series at 2-2.
It could have been even better for India, however, because Harry Brook survived a huge scare when he was caught in the deep by Mohammed Siraj, who then stepped on the boundary cushion and watched on in horror as the umpire signalled a six.
