India vs England: Visitors left vulnerable in fifth Test as Lokesh Rahul impresses with career-best 199

India 391-4, England 477: The visitors had made a decent start to this fifth Test but all hope of victory was soon extinguished once the hosts took to the crease

Lokesh Rahul celebrates reaching his century (Reuters)

The third day of Test matches are known as ‘moving day’. However, nobody appeared to send the memo to the delivery driver here in Chennai as India worked their way towards parity.

Indeed, this final Test appears to be moving in only one direction after England toiled with limited reward on a soporific day.

India, powered by a career-best 199 from opener Lokesh Rahul and a maiden Test half-century from Karun Nair, who ended the day unbeaten on 71, are the only team who can now win this game after reaching the close on 391 for four.

That left them just 86 behind England’s first-innings total of 477.

Lokesh plays a shot against England during the third day of the fifth Test (AP)

The hosts will feel a lead is now probable and depending on its size, that would leave an England team weary in mind and body vulnerable to a third-innings collapse that might propel them towards a fourth successive defeat.

With India 3-0 up, this Test is a dead rubber. But the lifeless nature of the pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium left the tourists nowhere to hide even after their morale was boosted when they captured the wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, India’s captain, cheaply during the afternoon session.

A 161-run stand between Rahul and Nair extinguished any English optimism, even if the former was finally undone shortly before the close one run short of his maiden Test double hundred when he reached for a wide delivery from Adil Rashid and plonked the ball into the hands of Jos Buttler at cover. It was a slapstick – and cruel – end to a brilliant innings that has set his side up for another shot at victory.

Alastair Cook’s team had actually made a decent start to this match having posted almost 500 batting first thanks in part to Liam Dawson’s unbeaten 66 that followed 146 from Moeen Ali and 88 by Joe Root.

Lokesh Rahul and Karun Nair run between the crease during their impressive innings (Reuters)

The unbroken 60-run stand put on by Parthiv Patel and Rahul in the final 20 overs of the second evening, though, indicated there was much hard work to be had for England’s bowlers.

And so it proved.

The highlight of a grindingly frustrating morning session was the sole wicket of Parthiv, who in attempting to swipe Moeen’s spin through the off-side missed the turn and sent a leading edge to Buttler at cover.

Parthiv had made 71 as a makeshift opener, Murali Vijay having been unable to bat on the second evening because of a shoulder injury.

But the opening stand of 152 was a record for India against England at home.

Rahul at the other end was moving along nicely, reaching 50 in 96 balls and helping guide his side to 173 for one.

Parthiv Patel plays a shot (AP)

There was some encouragement for the tourists in the early part of the afternoon session as the big wickets of Pujara and Kohli both fell to leave India on 211 for three.

Pujara, feeling for a Ben Stokes delivery outside off stump and sending a thick edge to Cook at slip, fell first for 16.

Stuart Broad then managed to get Kohli on 15, his series runs tally now 655 after his first sub-40 dismissal thanks to a cutter out-side off that India’s captain sent to Keaton Jennings at cover.

Yet in between those dismissals, Rahul had brought up his fourth Test hundred – and first in India – running three off Stokes thanks to an overthrow from Dawson.

Kohli’s departure had brought Nair to the crease and the 25-year-old had plenty to prove having come into his third Test with a top score of 13.

However, he settled into his innings and his 161-run stand with Rahul spanning 41.5 overs stopped any momentum England had gained dead in its tracks.

Alastair Cook's men are at risk of falling to a fourth Test defeat in India (Reuters)

There were moments of fortune for both batsmen either side of a tea break that India entered on 256 for three.

Rahul escaped run-out chances on 122, when a direct hit from Dawson would have left him short of his ground, and 147, wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow unable to take the bails off following a poor throw from Rashid.

Nair, too, had a life when Cook dropped him on 34, Jake Ball inducing a catchable edge in the second over with the second new ball.

Nair went on to make his first Test half-century, getting to the landmark in 98 balls with an exquisite drive through mid-on off Ball.

He was then subject to a speculative review when England thought Moeen had trapped him lbw on 69. The ball was, inevitably, missing the stumps.

Rahul then departed, dropping to his haunches and pondering the stupidity of his shot to Rashid.

The leg-spinner had an unsuccessful lbw review the very next ball when Vijay, the new man in, missed the googly.

It may have been a lively end to a slow day, yet India’s slow strangulation of England’s hopes in this match leaves the tourists in danger of slipping to a chastening 4-0 series defeat ahead of their return home on Wednesday.