MUMBAI: Star batsman Virat Kohli smashed a massive double century before England slumped to 182-6 at stumps on day four as India closed in on victory in the fourth Test on Sunday.
Captain Kohli struck 235 runs for his third double ton of the year and Jayant Yadav scored a maiden Test century to fire India to a huge first innings score of 631.
England require something extraordinary to happen to avoid a Test and series defeat after a host of their top-order batsmen then wilted in the Mumbai heat, leaving the visitors trailing by 49 runs going into the final day.
England lost three quick wickets in just 13.2 overs at the Wankhede Stadium as their second innings got off to a nightmare start, all but ending their hopes of mounting a comeback.
Keaton Jennings, who scored a century on his Test debut in the first innings, went for a golden duck, out lbw off Indian medium pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja then took captain Alastair Cook for 18 and Moeen Ali, who lasted only three balls and failed to get off the mark.
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow did their best to restore some respectability by putting on a fourth-wicket partnership of 92 before the former was bowled lbw by Yadav for 77 runs.
Ben Stokes came and went for 18 while Bairstow was unbeaten on 50 at stumps.
Kohli blasted a double century that included 25 fours and one six during his 340-ball stay.
It marked his third double century of 2016 in what has been a sensational and record-breaking year for the Indian skipper.
Score Board
England won toss
England 1st innings 400 all-out (K Jennings 112, J Buttler 76; R Ashwin 6-112)
India 1st innings 631 all-out (V Kohli 235, M Vijay 136, J Yadav 104; A Rashid 4-192)
England 2nd innings
*A N Cook lbw b Jadeja 18
K K Jennings lbw b Kumar 0
J E Root lbw b J Yadav 77
M M Ali c Vijay b Jadeja 0
†J M Bairstow not out 50
B A Stokes c Vijay b Ashwin 18
J T Ball c Patel b Ashwin 2
Extras (b 13, lb 2, nb 2) 17
Total (6 wickets; 47.3 overs) 182
To bat: J C Buttler, C R Woakes, A U Rashid, J M Anderson
Fall: 1-1, 2-43, 3-49, 4-141, 5-180, 6-182
Bowling: Kumar 4-1-11-1; U Yadav 3-0-10-0; Jadeja 18-3-58-2 (1nb); Ashwin 16.3-1-49-2; J Yadav 6-0-39-1 (1nb)
Test debut: K K Jennings (England)
Umpires: B N J Oxenford (Australia) and P R Reiffel (Australia). TV umpire: M Erasmus (South Africa). Match referee: J J Crowe (New Zealand)