England's gamble with an all-seam attack backfired and allowed India to draw level in the NatWest Series with a thrilling victory under the lights in Bristol.
Despite claiming an emphatic 104-run win in the opener to the seven-match series at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday, England decided to drop left-arm spinner Monty Panesar and choose 6ft 7ins seamer Chris Tremlett on a surface they expected to be fast and bouncy.
But instead of imposing themselves on India's star-studded line-up, they were hammered for a record total of 329 for seven and the tourists' decision to field two spinners ensured a nine-run triumph after limiting England to 320 for eight in reply.
As a calculated gamble it failed and halted any momentum England may have gained from their Rose Bowl triumph against an India attack deprived of Zaheer Khan, their best bowler, through illness.
From an early stage of India's innings, it became clear England's pre-match thinking was flawed with Sachin Tendulkar hitting a memorable 99 while Rahul Dravid hammered an unbeaten 92 off 63 balls to guide his side to their highest ever total against their opponents.
Even a career-best bowling display from key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who finished with five for 56 in only his second appearance since returning from an ankle operation, failed to stem India's boundary spree.
It prompted such concern in captain Paul Collingwood that he fiddled constantly with bowling changes and setting the field, resulting in England being 40 minutes late in completing their overs and a possible sanction for the captain.
A potential fine or ban was the least of Collingwood's worries early in the day, however, with Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly quickly establishing their dominance over an England attack with a 139-run stand spanning 20 overs.
Hampshire seamer Tremlett, who was hit for 72 runs in 10 overs on his previous one-day international performance against New Zealand in January, once again struggled to make an impression with his first three overs conceding 30 runs.
Even Dimitri Mascarenhas, one of England's most economical bowlers at the Rose Bowl, was expensive with his first four overs conceding 31 while Ravi Bopara's golden arm deserted him after being hit for 27 in his opening four overs.
It was left to Flintoff to finally break the stand and for a moment he thought he had claimed the prized scalp of Tendulkar for 57 when the batsman chipped to mid-off but even the tall figure of Tremlett could not quite collect the catch above his head.
Flintoff responded to the disappointment immediately by tempting Ganguly into an expansive drive which Collingwood caught running back from point.
That setback did not halt Tendulkar's exhibition of strokeplay, which was hindered by severe cramp in his left hand but did not stop him hitting 15 fours and a six to leave him only one short of his 42nd one-day international century.
He was only denied reaching the milestone by umpire Ian Gould, who upheld an appeal from Flintoff from a short delivery which television replays later suggested hit his elbow before being caught by wicketkeeper Matt Prior.
If the Indian contingent in the crowd were disappointed at their idol's dismissal, they were soon to be entertained by a super exhibition from Dravid, who helped add 95 in the last 10 overs despite the loss of four wickets at the other end.
Dravid hit 11 fours and a six during his stunning innings while Flintoff blew away the middle order to prevent India posting an even more daunting total.
Needing a good start - and restricted to only a 10-minute break between innings - England responded well with Alastair Cook and Prior forging a 76-run stand in only 11 overs.
For a time, England must have believed lady luck was with them, with Prior receiving two reprieves - one drop and being caught off a no-ball - while Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen (twice) were all dropped inside the first 19 overs of their reply.
The introduction of seamer Munaf Patel, who was only drafted in at late notice after Zaheer Khan was ruled out with an illness, changed the momentum irreparably after he claimed both openers with successive balls.
Prior mis-cued to mid-off and Cook edged behind to leave the responsibility on England's middle order to take them within distance of India's record total.
Bell and Pietersen added 58, but it was the introduction of the spinners which really derailed the chase and proved a stark contrast to the all-seam attack preferred by England.
Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, just 18, claimed three for 60 including the vital wickets of Pietersen with his second ball and Collingwood, both deceived by the googly and bowled through the gap between bat and pad.
Flintoff, suffering from a sore right knee which was inflamed by a collision with advertising boards attempting to save a boundary, still looked rusty and became off-spinner Ramesh Powar's only victim.
But the combined efforts of the two spinners - four for 103 from 20 overs - made all the difference despite a late rally from England's lower order which briefly rattled India for the first time in the day.
Mascarenhas hammered 52 off 36 balls, including five sixes, and it was left to Stuart Broad with England needing 30 off the final over to claim an improbably victory.
Broad hit 20 and finished unbeaten on 29 off 24 balls but in the end the different policy of the two sides was decisive as India levelled the series.
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