India vs England report: Virat Kohli helps save nervy draw for hosts as Alastair Cook's side remove air of invincibility

England 537 & 260-3 dec India 488 & 172-6: Alastair Cook records the 30th century of his career as England's pursuit of a first Test victory falls agonisingly short

Alastair Cook shakes hands with Virat Kohli as the two captains settle on a draw in the first Test (AP)

England ultimately did not win this opening Test but in pushing India closer to defeat at home than anyone over the past four years they will head into the rest of this series with an important moral victory.

Nobody gave Alastair Cook’s side a chance ahead of the first of five Tests here.

In part that’s because India are not only ranked No1 in the world but because they just do not often lose Test matches on home soil.

In the 13 since England beat them in Kolkata in December 2012, they have won 12 out of 13 home Tests at home, with even the one draw a result of persistent rain that saved South Africa from defeat in Bangalore.

So before this series began the predictions of a 5-0 whitewash for Virat Kohli’s team were not outlandish. They were based on fact.

England then must be given much credit forgiving India a bloody nose here in Rajkot, with the locals now aware they will need to take Cook’s team seriously for the remaining four Tests.

Virat Kohli managed to see India to the close to salvage a draw (AP)

India, set 310 to win in 49 overs, limped to the close on 172 for six. They never really looked in danger of losing this match, even when the sixth wicket fell with half an hour still left to play.

However, England have surprised everyone with their performance in this match – perhaps even themselves.

The recent drawn series in Bangladesh set expectation levels extremely low, especially after England’s shock defeat in Dhaka.

Yet this match has produced a series of performances in the touring party that will give Cook and his players hope for the rest of the series.

When the team head to Visakhapatnam tomorrow ahead of Thursday’s second Test, they will be buoyed by the display of their spinners in particular, who took 13 wickets between them in the match as opposed to just nine by their Indian counterparts.

Adil Rashid’s three wickets on this final day set Indian hearts racing and took his tally for this match to seven. The leg-spinner, so disappointing in Bangladesh, will be full of confidence now.

England’s batsmen, too, have proved they can thrive in these conditions.

Alastair Cook celebrates reaching the 30th century of his Test career (Getty)

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, India’s prolific spin pairing, came into this series with 75 wickets from their past seven home Tests. Yet England played them well.

Cook’s 130 on this final day was his fifth in India - more than any touring batsman – and 30th of his career, taking past the great Don Bradman on the all-time list of century-makers.

He was also joined by three team-mates, Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes all scoring hundreds in the first innings.

It was some statement from England given no visiting batsman had made three figures in a Test in India for almost three years.

There’s no doubt India will come back strongly, especially if they win the toss in Visakhapatnam.

But England have gone a long way to demystifying opponents who are used to having things their own way.

England were masters of their own destiny when they began this final day on 114 without loss, a lead of 163.

Cook and Hameed had batted superbly the previous evening to alleviate fears of a Dhaka-style collapse that would have put them in jeopardy of losing this Test.

The tourists had lost ten wickets inside a session to lose in the Bangladeshi capital a fortnight ago.

Alastair Cook eventually declared after being dismissed for 130 (AP)

Yet there was no danger of a similar here after England’s first-wicket pair blunted India’s attack superbly on the fourth evening.

Hameed, Cook’s tenth opening partner in four years, had been brought in at the start of this series to bolster England’s top-order following the Dhaka defeat.

At the age of 19, he has risen to the occasion superbly, becoming the first England opener to score a half-century on debut since Cook.

Although he failed to become England’s youngest century-maker on this final morning, hitting a tough return catch back to leg-spinner Amit Mishra, his score of 82 was the highest by any teenager in England’s Test history, passing the 74 made by Jack Crawford at Cape Town in 1906

At that point England were 180 for one, a lead of 229.

Mishra had his second wicket in eight balls when Joe Root was caught behind following a reckless sweep.

A misfield allowed Cook, after four hours and 11 minutes at the crease, to reach three figures with a scrambled single off Mishra.

At lunch England were 211 for two, a lead of 260. By this stage, with Stokes moved up to No 4 ahead of Ben Duckett, it was clear a declaration was imminent.

In the end, it took the wicket of Cook, slogging Ashwin to long off on 130, to trigger it 28 minutes into the afternoon session.

It set India a notional target of 310 and England with 49 overs to take the ten wickets needed for victory.

England celebrate taking the wicket of Ravichandran Ashwin (AP)

Those hopes looked remote for the tourists given the lack of time left in the game. Yet they were raised when India slipped to 71 for four.

Chris Woakes started things by having Gautam Gambhir caught at second slip in the second over.

Stuart Broad then dropped Murali Vijay off Zafar Ansari on 13 as England increased the pressure.

At tea the hosts were 47 for two, Rashid removing Cheteshwar Pujara lbw, India’s No 3 paying the price for not reviewing after the delivery pitched outside leg stump.

Rashid struck again in the fifth over of the final session, Vijay out for 31 when he fended a catch to Hameed at short leg, India now 68 for three.

Moeen bowled Ajinkya Rahane via his pads with a sharply-turning ball to grab the fourth wicket.

A 47-run between Kohli and Ashwin calmed things for India. Ashwin, though, fell victim to a kamikaze shot to Ansari, driving straight to cover. With ten overs left to bowl, India were wobbling on 118 for five and things got even more interesting when Rashid made it 132 for six, Wriddhiman Saha presenting him with a return catch.

By this stage the overs left – 6.4 at this stage - became irrelevant as we had entered the final hour of the day. England had 30 minutes to get the four wickets needed for victory.

Yet while Kohli stayed at the crease, that was always going to be a long shot. And so it proved.