Captain Joe Root hit a sublime century as England and India wrestled for control on Day Four of the first LV= Insurance Test at Trent Bridge.

Root has grown to become familiar with Trent Bridge in recent weeks as a Trent Rockets player, and his innings was instrumental as the hosts battled hard to leave all four results possible by the close.

The England skipper entered the fray with his side 46 for two and trailing overall by 49, and departed almost five hours later having hit 109 and taken the hosts to 274 for seven, with a potentially crucial lead of 179.

England were eventually dismissed for 303 as Jasprit Bumrah snared five for 64, setting India 209 to win, and the tourists closed on 52 for 1 to set up a tantalising final day.

Having resumed on 25 without loss and first with the brief of wiping out their first-innings deficit, England initially came up against an Indian attack with their tails up, and suffered a pair of early losses.

Rory Burns feathered Mohammed Siraj through to Rishabh Pant for 18, and he was followed shortly afterwards by Zak Crawley, who fell in the same way for six to become Bumrah’s first victim of the innings.

However, that brought Root to the crease, and there were immediately signs of what was to come as he gloriously stroked his first boundary through the covers.

Although polar opposites in their style, the fluent Root and the gritty Dom Sibley linked up well to add 89 for the third wicket, wiping out the deficit and passing 100 in one fell swoop.

There was still time enough at the end of the morning session for Root to bring up his second half-century of the match, doing so from 70 balls, as the hosts took lunch on 119 for two.

Lunch offered the Indian attack a chance to reset, and they came out firing early in the afternoon, seeing off Sibley for 28 as Bumrah claimed his second.

Jonny Bairstow, with 30, and Dan Lawrence, who hit 25, enjoyed important cameos with Root, who continued to steadily creep towards three figures throughout the afternoon.

The release of joy inside Trent Bridge was palpable as England’s talisman finally brought his 21st Test ton up with a handsome punch down the ground for four, with even the loss of Jos Buttler failing to dampen the mood.

Root was given a standing ovation as his innings was brought to a close by Bumrah, before an entertaining stand between Sam Curran, who made 32 prior to hitting Bumrah to Siraj, and Ollie Robinson hauled the England lead past 200.

A final clatter saw the host nation dismissed with a little over an hour of the day’s play remaining, with the hosts’ fate now in the hands of their bowlers.

Stuart Broad removed KL Rahul late on for 26, before the teams departed the field with the outcome of this topsy-turvy Test to be decided on what should be a thrilling Day Five.

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