India have had their moments with the bat this series, but clearly, they had saved the best for last. Having topped 400 thrice in the first four Tests, they rode on the strength of their top order to post their highest total on Day Two of the final Test, leaving England with a mountain to climb at the HPCA Stadium.

Skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill headlined the muscular display with their respective second centuries, while debutant Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan weighed in with pleasing half-tons. Allied with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s power-packed 57 of the previous evening, it marked the first time that India’s top five had all made at least a half-century in an innings against England. The net result was that the home side, 135-1 overnight replying to England’s sub-par 218, ended Friday on 473-8, ahead by 255 and primed to translate their 3-1 lead into a 4-1 whipping.