Ben Stokes was at his destructive best as England reached their highest ODI total in India – yet the hosts still came out on top in an absorbing first match in Pune.
Three batsmen racked up fifties, including our own all-rounder, as the touring Three Lions scored 350.
As it transpired, it was nowhere near enough.
Virat Kohli led the chase with another masterclass century and Kedar Jadhav provided the explosive power as the hosts recovered from 63/4 to cruise home by three wickets.
As if often the case, Joe Root dropped anchor as the Yorkshireman top-scored with a classy 78 and left the power striking to those around him. Jason Roy provided the initial impetus while Stokes and Moeen Ali provided firepower in the final overs.
India’s inability to nail yorkers added to the woes as Stokes plundered boundaries left, right and centre to make 62 from 40 balls, including five maximums.
All the talk at half way was of a “job half done” but England must have seen the finishing line in sight when they reduced India to four-down early in the reply.
Kohli’s magic means anything can happen while he’s at the crease and while his typically flawless century ignited the chase, Jadhav’s somewhat unexpected fireworks thrilled the locals in Pune.
His acceleration caught England by surprise; where they had ticked over after the powerplay overs, Jadhav belted boundaries to all areas of the stadium.
Captain Eoin Morgan soon turned to the spinners but Moeen Ali & Adil Rashid could not contain either batsman as the partnership ticked up to 200.
The pair went within four overs but it was too little, too late as Hardik Pandya saw it home with an unbeaten 40.
England now go in to Thursday’s second match in Cuttack knowing only a win will keep them in the hunt for the series – just how many runs will it take to defeat the hosts on their own turf?
Watch England at Emirates Riverside in 2017 as they take on the West Indies in a rematch of the ICC World T20 final – tickets start from £35 adults & £10 juniors