England made a mockery of a 337-run target thanks to the six-hitting spree from Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes as the three lions level the three-match ODI series against India at the MCA in Pune on Friday. It was England's fifth-highest chase in ODI cricket.
The visitors capitalised on a flying start provided by Bairstow (124 off 112) and Jason Roy (55 off 52) as the side gunned down the target in just 43.3 overs with six wickets in hand.
Stokes' (99 off 62) breathtaking knock got all on the edge of the seats but the all-rounder missed out on a deserving hundred after a blazing 165-run stand with Bairstow.
As for India, they had amassed 336 for six courtesy KL Rahul (108 off 114) and Rishabh Pant (77 off just 40) after England won the toss and opted to field.
Roy's dismissal had got India some relief but Stokes started raining sixes for fun - 10 in total - to make the target seem small. Bairstow, who struck his 11th ODI hundred, had smashed seven sixes and 11 fours.
Besides pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Prasidh Krishna, the other Indian bowlers were left stunned by the onslaught by Stokes and Bairstow. Indian spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav (0/84 in 10 overs) and Krunal Pandya (0/72 in 6), conceded as many as 14 sixes.
Debutant Liam Livingstone (27 not out off 21) and Dawid Malan (16 not out off 23) had held their nerve at the end to get the side to victory.
Earlier, Rahul had anchored the Indian innings and had hit seven fours and two sixes in his 114-ball knock. Pant too plundered seven sixes and three boundaries to get the hosts to go well past the 300-run mark.
Skipper Virat Kohli (66 off 79) and Rahul had laid the foundation after India lost opener Shikhar Dhawan (4) and Rohit Sharma (25).