England's gamble with an all-seam attack paid few dividends 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 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.

If the Indian contingent in the crowd were disappointed at their idol Tendulkar's dismissal, they were soon to be entertained by a super exhibition from Dravid, who helped add 95 in the last ten overs despite the loss of four wickets at the other end.

Needing a good start - and restricted to only a ten-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 - a drop and caught off a no-ball - while Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen (twice) were all dropped inside the first 19 overs of their reply.

Munaf Patel, however, claimed both openers with successive balls.

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.

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.

Mascarenhas hammered 52 off 39 balls, including five sixes, and it was left to Stuart Broad with England needing 30 off the final over. Broad hit 20 and finished unbeaten on 29 off 24 balls but India levelled the series.