(ESPNCRICINFO) – Jonny Bairstow added a new chapter to a glorious summer with a belligerent 106 off 140 balls, but it was India that took control of the Edgbaston Test over the course of an enthralling third day.

Their quicks, led by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, bowled England out for 284 to secure a first-innings lead of 132, and, by stumps, this lead had grown to 257, with seven wickets still in hand, as Cheteshwar Pujara marked his comeback with a rock-solid, unbeaten third-innings half-century.

After both first innings flew along at more than four-and-a-half runs per over, India’s second innings followed a far more traditional Test-match pattern, as they went to stumps at 125 for 3, after 45 overs.

This was down in large part to Pujara’s presence at the crease, of course, but every minute he spent out there was precious to India’s push to bat England out of the game. Barring a couple of nervy moments, he looked utterly secure; more secure in his defence, possibly, than at any point since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

In this Test Match, it has been apparent that Pujara has changed his set-up at the crease to get more side-on, with his front shoulder pointing to the bowler rather than towards mid-on, as was the case during the first four Tests of this series in 2021. On Sunday, this seemed to allow him to adjust more easily to late away movement than he has done in recent times. Where he would occasionally get squared up by these deliveries while playing the initial angle; a common pattern in a lot of his dismissals in Australia and England last year, he seemed to be able to play the ball later here, and adjust the angle of his bat face to defend in the direction of the movement.

His leaving was full of certainty, too, even against incoming balls in the channel outside off stump, against Stuart Broad in particular. The only time he got into a tangle while leaving was when Ben Stokes bent one into him, late, to strike him on the front pad. A loud shout was turned down, and England’s review returned an umpire’s call verdict, with ball-tracking suggesting the ball would have gone on to clip the outside edge of off-stump.

This moment came soon after Stokes had produced the ball of the innings, which lifted un-playably to kiss Virat Kohli’s glove, to end a 32-run third-wicket partnership.

Getting Pujara out then could have put India, which at that point led by 218, under quite a bit of pressure. As it turned out, Pujara and the impish Rishabh Pant saw out the rest of the evening’s play, putting on an unbroken 50-run stand for the fourth wicket.