His successes could scarcely have been more important, India captain Kohli for an eight-ball duck and in-form opener Rohit at his most settled.
India were still hopeful of building a useful lead, but with James Anderson meticulous and Jack Leach plugging away reliably they had been restricted for long spells.
The only real note of concern for England was the form of Dom Bess on his recall, with the off-spinner lacking control and fortunate to concede no more than 26 runs from his first seven overs.
Anderson had bowled five overs without conceding a run on the first evening and set the tone with another spell of masterly control at the start of the day. He and and Stokes ensured the scoreboard slowed to a crawl before Leach capitalised on the pressure.
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