- Scorecard

Resuming at the overnight score of 84 without loss, Strauss and Cook had earlier in the day batted safely through a rain-shortened morning session -- play began 30 minutes late -- as England gathered 157 without loss by lunch.

Photographs: Getty Images

With the weather brightening up and 10 wickets remaining, England consolidated their dominant position.

England's first boundary did not arrive until the 15th over of the morning, when Strauss attempted to smash a wider delivery from Ishant Sharma through the covers but got only a thick edge through the gully region and down to third man.

Cook executed a more convincing boundary two balls later off Sharma when he slotted a perfectly-timed drive through extra cover to go to 37. It was Cook's fourth scoring shot only of the day, after an hour.

Two more boundaries through the slips followed in the next two overs from both batsmen.

Left-hander Cook reached his half-century five minutes before the interval when he clipped a pitched-up ball from S Sreesanth angled into him through mid-wicket for another four. It was his 130th delivery of the innings.

The opener managed to break his run of poor scores as he scored his first half-century for five innings.

England, who won at Lord's and Trent Bridge, will go to number one in the Test world rankings if they win this match.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra gave India the much-needed breakthrough, claiming the wicket of Andrew Strauss.

Strauss was looking good for a hundred, but tried to sweep, missed the ball, which brushed his pad and rattled the leg stump.

Television replays later indicated that the delivery was a no-ball.

Strauss scored 87, inclusive of 13 boundaries. His dismissal ended a 186-run stand for the opening wicket for England.

India could have tasted success soon after the dismissal of Strauss, but Rahul Dravid at first slip put down Ian Bell off the bowling of S Sreesanth.

It was an easy catch, as Dravid appeared to have the edge under control, but the ball ricocheted off the fielder's hands.

Cook,  who came into this match with only 20 runs from four innings, got to his hundred with a single off Praveen Kumar. 

It was his 19th Test ton, his second against India. It came off 213 balls, and included 14 fours.

But England's celebrations of the hundred were muted as Bell fell next ball.

It was a fine delivery from Praveen Kumar that seamed away and sent the off-stump flying, as Bell prodded down the wrong line