Alastair Cook's men began Tuesday 544 runs ahead, and day three proved to be another of dominance for England as they bid to win their first Test match in almost a year and level the five-match series at 1-1.
Leading bowling duo James Anderson (3-52) and Stuart Broad (3-65) did the damage with the ball as India laboured to 323-8 at stumps - 246 runs behind and still requiring 47 to avoid the follow-on.
Ajinkya Rahane (54) and captain MS Dhoni (50 not out) were the only India batsmen to deliver performances of any note, with the latter likely holding the key to their hopes of posting a competitive total.
England lost Ian Bell in the morning session as he suffered a hand injury when fielding a Murali Vijay (35) edge, although it has since been revealed that the batsman - who hit 167 in the hosts' first innings - has escaped with bruising.
But Broad soon helped England make inroads into the India batting line-up as he removed Cheteshwar Pujara (24) and Vijay.
Pujara gloved a short ball to Jos Buttler, while Vijay chopped on to his stumps to leave the tourists in a precarious position on 88-3.
However, Rahane helped steady the ship with partnerships of 48 with Virat Kohli (39) and 74 with Rohit Sharma (28) as he showed the quality that led him to a century in the second Test at Lord's.
Rahane's resistance was eventually brought to an end in a fashion uncharacteristic of his composed innings, lobbing a Moeen Ali (2-62) delivery high and into the grasp of Bell's replacement Sean Terry shortly after Rohit had departed in a similar manner.
With India seemingly on the ropes, England were looking to rip quickly through the tail with the second new ball.
However, it was an India counter-attack that followed, Dhoni leading by example with Ravindra Jadeja (31) to put on a defiant seventh-wicket partnership of 58.
That stand was broken when Anderson trapped Jadeja lbw in what could be his last match of the series with his disciplinary hearing for his first-Test altercation with the India all-rounder coming a day after the end of this encounter.
Dhoni remains at the crease, but further evidence that he is fast running out of suitable partners came when Broad dismissed Bhuvneshwar Kumar (19) towards the end of a fine day for England.