England were made to toil as centuries from KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant put India in charge of the first Rothesay Test at Headingley.
Brydon Carse persuaded India captain Shubman Gill to drag on from the seventh ball of the fourth day but it was slim pickings from then on, with Rahul put down on 58 by Harry Brook at gully.
India’s opener was the first to a hundred and while Pant flirted with danger, he reached three figures before tea as the tourists ended the session on 298 for four and an already imposing lead of 304.
Carse and Chris Woakes were probing early on and Pant, after some early theatrics, and Rahul had to curb their natural impulses in helpful bowling conditions on Monday morning but as the day wore on, a 195-run stand took the game away from England.
Pant’s ton was his second century of the match and while he took one risk too many against an expensive Shoaib Bashir and departed for 118, Rahul was still there on 120 not out.
Rahul and Pant came together after Carse made the breakthrough in the first full over of the morning, tailing the ball in and cramping first-innings centurion Gill for room, with his attempt to cut taking the inside edge on to his stumps.
Gill’s departure for eight opened the door for England in overcast, blustery conditions – with India three down and a lead under 100 – and Pant almost allowed them to blow it down after advancing to his second ball and edging Woakes over the slips.
Pant also survived an lbw review after missing a wild whip, swinging himself off his feet, before he audaciously slog-swept Carse on one knee, with the ball landing safely at fine-leg.
Remarkably it was Rahul who offered a clear cut chance as an attempt to dab Josh Tongue down to third caught the edge but a crouching Brook, stationed close in at gully, could not hang on to an overhead chance.
England’s decision to dispense with the cordon after lunch proved costly as Pant edged Tongue to where a first slip would have been and when that gap was plugged, he then squirted the same bowler to where a second slip would have been.
It was a good battle between the pair, with Pant crashing Tongue through the covers after his second let-off before twice swatting Bashir for six over long-on. Pant then thrashed England’s off-spinner uppishly through the covers on 75 but a diving Ben Stokes could only palm away a difficult chance.
Rahul moved to an unfussy ninth Test hundred – and sixth outside Asia, only Sunil Gavaskar among India openers has more – while Pant took 26 balls to get from 90 to 100, doing so by scampering through for a quick single.
He removed his helmet and gloves but decided against repeating the somersault which greeted his first-innings ton, before Bashir had some relief when Pant holed out before tea.
