India vs England day three report: Virat Kohli unbeaten century puts hosts in firm control

England 400, India 451-7: The India captain ended the day on an unbeaten 147, giving his side a vital lead

Kohli and Vijay frustrated England on day three in Mumbai (Getty)

England’s hopes of a series-reviving victory in this fourth Test have been doused almost single-handedly by the brilliance of Virat Kohli.

India’s captain is feted in these parts and it is for innings such as this. Kohli’s brilliant unbeaten 147 guided his side to a first-innings lead of 51 by the end of this third day.

With India on 451 for seven, it is already looking like a match-defining contribution. This was the 28-year-old’s 15th Test century, four of which have come this year.

His stats in this series are even more impressive, Kohli now averaging 137.75 after this century followed his match-winning 167 in the second Test at Visakhapatnam.

Indeed, in four Tests so far he has only been dismissed for a score below 50 once - and that what in his first innings of the series at Rajkot.

It’s hard to believe this is a man who averaged just 20.12 in his nine previous Tests against England before this series began.

Alastair Cook’s side, already 2-0 down, need to win here to have any chance of levelling things up in next week’s final Test at Chennai.

A draw will be no good to them and while their hopes in this match are not completely gone just yet, it would take an incredible effort to conjure up a victory from here.

England didn’t help themselves, Adil Rashid dropping Kohli on 68 off his own bowling.

With India still 53 runs behind the tourists’ first-innings total of 400 at that point, things might have been very different had Rashid held on.

Cook’s captaincy will also come under the microscope as well, with some baffling decisions such as keeping Chris Woakes out of the attack for 77 overs, bowling Rashid for 28 in succession and delaying taking the new ball for an entire session.

England had the perfect start when Jake Ball struck with the second delivery of the day, Cheteshwar Pujara bowled shouldering arms and failing to add to his overnight score of 47.

The same applied to India, who were 146 for two, England relieved to have finally ended a 107-run partnership that had raised doubts about just how good their first-innings total of 400 actually was.

England's players celebrating the wicket of Ashwin, one of six to fall on Saturday (AP)

Those doubts reappeared, though, by lunch as Kohli, Pujara’s dismissal bringing India’s hero to the crease, and Murali Vijay added 101 unanswered runs to take their team to 247 for two at the interval.

By then Vijay had brought up his eighth Test hundred, a scrambled single off Moeen Ali taking him to three figures in 231 balls.

Kohli also had a couple of landmarks of his own by lunch, passing 4,000 Test career runs and becoming the first Indian since Rahul Dravid in 2011 to score 1,000 in a calendar year.

England’s luck was clearly out at this stage, Cook’s side denied the wicket of Vijay – on 116 – 12 minutes before lunch when the tightest of DRS reviews went against them. Vijay was given out on the field and sent the decision upstairs – where the tiniest of inside edges saved him from being trapped lbw by Rashid.

Yet things did turn for the tourists during an afternoon session when four wickets fell. Vijay was finally undone on 136 when Rashid clung on to a sharp caught-and-bowled opportunity to end a 116-run stand with Kohli.

At 262 for three, the hosts were still in a good position and Kohli, who swiftly moved to 50 soon afterwards, was proving immovable.

Thankfully his partners at the other end were a little more accommodating. Three came and went in quick succession as India collapsed from 279 for three to 307 for six. Karun Nair, trapped lbw on review by Moeen, was the first to go.

Kohli's brilliant unbeaten 147 guided his side to a first-innings lead of 51 (AP)

The part-time off-spin of Joe Root then accounted for Parthiv Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin. Parthiv had lambasted England’s spinners the previous evening, telling the assembled media how poor they were in comparison to India’s. Karma then struck back quite satisfyingly when he was caught behind on 15 attempting to smear Root through the covers.

Ashwin followed in Root’s next over, the India all-rounder who has made three half-centuries in this series caught at short leg after the ball was hit straight into the midriff of debutant Keaton Jennings. A dashing partnership between Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja dampened English optimism as India went into tea on 348 for six, trailing by 52. Crucially, though, Kohli had been given a life by Rashid before then.

India were reduced to 364 for seven early in the evening session when Jadeja looped Rashid up Jos Buttler at mid-off. Kohli, though, then took over proceedings. The hundred came off 187 balls, when he dashed down the pitch after a misfield at cover to scamper home for a single off Ball.

Kohli carried on running as he made his ground, jumping up in the air and then punching it in delight as the noise almost lifted the roof off the Wankhede Stadium. It got louder, too, as he stopped, took off his helmet and raised his bat. India were 372 for seven at the time and the only reason they were in touching distance of a first-innings lead was because of Kohli’s brilliance.

By drinks in the final session India were just one run away from parity. Kohli, taking Moeen for two, inevitably steered his side into the lead in the next over. Cook had delayed taking the second new ball for fear of leaking runs but with wickets desperately required he finally took it after two balls of the 129th over.

James Anderson, on to relieve Rashid after his marathon spell, almost struck with it too, Jayant Yadav edging the third delivery with the new ball to Root at slip. Agonisingly, he could not hold on. And Anderson thought he had Yadav again in his next over, Bairstow taking a catch from what appeared an edge. England lost their last review finding out Yadav had not hit the ball.

Two balls later India’s eighth-wicket pair took their stand past 50, Kohli whipping Anderson through midwicket. By the close India, and Kohli, were almost out of sight in this contest.