Keaton Jennings hit a century on his Test debut as England took charge on day one against India at the Wankhede Stadium.

Jennings (103 not out) made the most of some early fortune - dropped on nought, a looping one-handed chance to Karun Nair at gully off Umesh Yadav, and also surviving a close umpire's call for lbw against Bhuvneshwar Kumar - on his way to a 186-ball hundred at his first attempt.

He is the 19th England batsman to mark his Test debut with a century.

The 24-year-old South Africa-born opener quickly became assured after his early scrapes, and there were some convincing cover-drives and pulls among his 12 boundaries - initially in an opening stand of 99 with Alastair Cook after the captain had won an important toss in the fourth Test.

Jennings (R) and Alastair Cook run between wickets (Getty)

Jennings, Cook's 11th opening partner since Andrew Strauss' retirement four years ago, was dropped just before he got off the mark with a cut for four off Umesh - from the 12th ball he faced - and he then immediately doubled up with a crunching pull for a second boundary.

He went on to complete his hundred with a reverse-swept four off Jayant Yadav as England reached tea on 196 for two, seeking to battle back from 2-0 down with two to play.

Bhuvneshwar was within a whisker of an overturn via DRS from round the wicket when, on 10, Jennings survived as simulation demonstrated impact was not quite fully on off-stump.

The new boy took the majority of the strike, and was soon sweeping off-spinners Ravi Ashwin and Jayant deftly, with pad outside the line, and minimal risk.

England were putting into action coach Trevor Bayliss' instruction to return to batting with 'intent', as in last month's drawn opener in Rajkot.

But it was an approach which would cost Cook his wicket four short of his 50, in atypical fashion for England's greatest accumulator of runs, when he went up the pitch in Ravindra Jadeja's first over and fell to a juggled stumping by Parthiv Patel as the ball turned and bounced between bat and body.

England then also lost Joe Root soon after lunch, edging an attempted push-drive at Ashwin to slip.

But on a pitch of acceptable pace for the seamers, and most importantly already providing assistance for the spinners too, Jennings' unbroken half-century stand with Moeen Ali (25no) kept the tourists ahead of the game.

Umpire Paul Reiffel, meanwhile, had to leave the field during the afternoon session after being felled by a blow to the back of the head at square-leg from a lobbed outfield throw. He was replaced by third umpire Marais Erasmus, with a reserve official Shamshuddin taking over the South African's duties.