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Pacer Stuart Broad took six wickets to put England in control after India were skittled out for 152 on the opening day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, on Thursday.
At stumps on Day 1, England were sitting pretty on 113 for three with Ian Bell unbeaten on 45, trailing India's score by just 39 runs.
Ruthlessly exploiting favourable conditions after India had won the toss, the pace duo of James Anderson and Broad obtained prodigious swing on an overcast morning to put England in control of the match inside two sessions, with the series level at 1-1.
- Scorecard
The start of the match was delayed by half an hour due to overnight rain.
India made three changes from the side which lost the third test in Southampton, bringing in Gambhir, seamer Varun Aaron and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. England named an unchanged team.
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Gautam Gambhir, recalled to the side, was first to go for four when he got a leading edge to a full delivery from Broad and the ball flew straight to Joe Root at gully.
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India were dealt another big blow after in-form batsman Murali Vijay was dismissed for a duck.
Vijay prodded at a perfect outswinger from Anderson and Alastair Cook took a straightforward opportunity at first slip.
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Virat Kohli's poor run with the bat in England continued.
Kohli edged an outgoing delivery from Anderson and was caught behind for a duck by Cook at first slip.
This was the third time Kohli fell to Anderson to continue his woeful batting performance in the series, with just 101 runs from seven innings at an average of 14.
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Cheteshwar Pujara also continued to struggle with the bat.
Pujara was caught in the slips off Broad as India were left reeling at four for eight in the sixth over. This was Pujara's first duck in Test cricket after 39 innings and his sixth overall in first class cricket.
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Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, surely ruing his decision to bat first, and Ajinkya Rahane stopped the rot with fighting fifth-wicket partnership of 54 as conditions for batting improved.
But Rahane was out for 24 just before the interval when he drove at a full wide ball from Jordan and Ian Bell took a regulation catch at second slip.
Dhoni, dropped by Jordan at fourth slip, was 25 not out at the lunch break with Jadeja yet to open his account.
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Resuming in the post-lunch session session on 63 for five, India soon lost Ravindra Jadeja for a duck, who was trapped leg before wicket by Anderson.
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India captain Dhoni saved his team the blushes with a gritty half-century in difficult conditions as wickets kept falling from the other end.
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Ashwin chipped in with a vital innings of 40 as he put on 66 runs for the seventh wicket with Dhoni to take India past the 100-run mark.
Ashwin was dismissed when he hooked a short ball from Broad and was well caught by Sam Robson running in from deep square leg.
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Dhoni reached fifty with his 11th four but Broad struck again, bowling Bhuvneshwar Kumar who was the fifth Indian batsman to make a duck.
Chancing his arm, Dhoni hit four more boundaries before heaving Broad straight to Chris Jordan at backward square leg to give the tall fast bowler his fifth wicket.
He then bowled Pankaj Singh for another duck to complete superb figures of six for 25.
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Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck early with the wicket of England opener Sam Robson.
Robson, who made six, offered no stroke to an incoming delivery and was bowled for six in the ninth over of the innings.
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England captain Alastair Cook was dismissed by pacer Varun Aaron for 17 as he miscued a pull shot straight into the hands of Pankaj Singh on the fine leg boundary.
Aaron was playing in only his second Test, having previously featured in a Test match way back in November 2011 against the West Indies at Mumbai.
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Aaron struck with the key wicket of in-form Gary Ballance in the final over of the day to lift India.
Left-hander Ballance was trapped leg before wicket for 37 after he had put on 77 runs for the third wicket with Ian Bell.
Bell was unbeaten on a fluent innings of 45 from 56 balls, hitting seven fours and a six, while Chris Jordan was yet to get off the mark as England finished the day on 113 for three in 35 overs, trailing India by just 39 runs.