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Not even India's first 300-plus total in 14 attempts against England could prove sufficient to win their first international fixture of a greatly one-sided tour, as the 21-year-old Yorkshire batsman Jonny Bairstow marked his international debut with a nerveless display of power-hitting under the floodlights at Cardiff. Chasing a revised target of 241 in 34 overs after a chain of D/L method, Bairstow battered an extraordinary 41 from 21 balls, as England eased home with 10 balls to spare.

In a gasping show, Bairstow struck the fifth ball of his international career for six over midwicket, and added two more and a four for good measure, as England marched up the mountain to complete their third victory of the series and their eighth in ten international matches against India this summer. The end stole the thunder from Virat Kohli's excellent 107 from 93, and also overshadowed the final ODI match of Rahul Dravid's 344-match career.

He signed off with 69 from 79 balls, and a handshake from every England player, but as had been the case all summer, he was incapable to stop a team on the rampage. Such a dramatic turn of events had seemed unlikely at the halfway mark of the day, which was reached in the middle of similar sparkler, as India's captain, MS Dhoni, slammed an even 50 from 26 balls to haul his team to an impressive total of 304 for 6.







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