Umesh Yadav removed Alastair Cook (2) caught by Ravichandran Ashwin while the burly offie came back to strike twin blows as he got Jonathan Trott (20) stumped and then had Joe Root (7) holed out in the deep.
Ian Bell (13) was stumped by Dhoni off Ravindra Jadeja and the decision looked a debatable one as TV replays proved to be inconclusive.
Earlier Virat Kohli scored 43 while Ravindra Jadeja contributed an useful 33 not out. Shikhar Dhawan scored 31.