England made India work hard in pursuit of a first-innings lead as a draw remained the most likely outcome to the fifth Test despite Karun Nair's maiden hundred at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Liam Dawson bowled unchanged through the fourth morning and was rewarded with his maiden Test wicket as the hosts moved from 391 for four to 463 for five in reply to 477.

England had little obvious motivation to accelerate proceedings, so a first hour containing just 12 overs and 34 runs was fine by them.

They would have had a wicket too, if only Stuart Broad had a review left at his disposal when Murali Vijay was given not out caught-behind on 21 but - according to technology - had made contact with a thin edge.

Nair finished the morning session on 122 not-out (Reuters)

Instead it was to be Dawson who struck, Murali lbw on the back foot when he failed to spot the arm ball - but not before Nair (122no) had completed his hundred at the other end, from 185 deliveries with eight fours and a six.

Stuart Broad would have dismissed Murali Vijay had England had any reviews left (Reuters)

The fifth-wicket stand was broken at 63 and England reined the innings run rate below 3.5 - all the more so as new batsman Ravi Ashwin appeared in no hurry in front of his home-town crowd, taking 15 balls before he got off the mark with a single off Dawson.