India’s cricketers were on the brink of just their second Test win at Lord’s as Alastair Cook’s latest failure with the bat prolonged the debate about his future as England captain.

England reached 4-105 at stumps on Sunday’s fourth day, needing a further 214 runs to reach their victory target of 319.

But the odds were on India going 1-0 up in this five-match series, after last week’s draw at Trent Bridge, and recording their second victory in 17 Tests at Lord’s following their lone win back in 1986.

Joe Root was 14 not out and Moeen Ali 15 not out at the close, the pair having come together after England lost three wickets for two runs in collapsing to 4-72.

Left-handed opener Cook fell for just 22 to make it 27 innings since he scored the last of his England record 25 hundreds.

His exit came shortly after Ian Bell, the other experienced batsman in England’s top order, had been dismissed for one – his 19th innings without a Test century.

Fast-medium bowler Ishant Sharma removed both in a burst of two wickets for no runs in seven balls.

Left-arm spinner Jadeja struck with his first ball Sunday when he had Australia-born opener Sam Robson lbw.

Cook and fellow left-hander Gary Ballance added 58 for the second wicket.

But Ballance, who made 110 in the first innings, was caught behind off Mohammed Shami to leave England 2-70.

Bell did not last long, clean bowled off stump by a Sharma delivery that kept a touch low.

Then Cook, after more than two hours at the crease, fell in familiar fashion when Sharma had him pushing out at a good length ball, with wicketkeeper Dhoni taking the catch.

Cook has scored a mere 115 runs in seven Tests innings at home to Sri Lanka and India so far this season.

Earlier, the Indians resumed on 4-169 and were 7-267 at lunch, a lead of 243.

But in the first 10 overs after lunch Ravindra Jadeja and seamer Bhuvneswhwar Kumar scored 66 runs.

Jadeja made a dashing 68 while tailender Kumar was last man out for 52 – his third fifty in four innings this series after his Test-best six for 82 in England’s first innings.

Kumar joined two of cricket’s greatest all-rounders in Ian Botham (England) and Richard Hadlee (New Zealand) as only the third player to have both scored a fifty and taken five wickets in successive Tests.

Opener Murali Vijay fell for 95 when he flicked an Anderson delivery to wicketkeeper Matt Prior after more than six hours at the crease.