Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan gave it a mighty go, but too much time had been consumed rebuilding, too much left for the hitters to do. Earlier, having put the hosts in, India’s replacements seemed right on the money. RP Singh, in for Irfan Pathan, got rid of the big-hitting Wright in the second over of the innings, while Jadeja got one to skid under Ravi Bopara’s bat to break the stumps and an irritating 71-run partnership.

Pietersen looked in murderous touch against India’s pacers, flicking Zaheer over square-leg, squeezing Ishant through mid-wicket and then thumping RP down the ground with such power that the ball had bounced into the boundary boards before the bowler could look. This was the former England captain at his contemptuous best.

But after he fell, India clawed their way back into the contest.

Owais Shah rotated the strike well enough, but that wasn’t exactly what England needed at the time. Paul Collingwood tried to reverse sweep Zaheer Khan and fell leg-before for seven. He must have felt rather embarrassed watching replays; stranger shots have seldom been attempted, even in T20.

The biggest disappointment of all for the hosts, though, had to be Mascarenhas. The man who had once dispatched Yuvraj for five sixes in an over scratched his way to an inexplicable 27-ball 25 — slow even by ODI standards.

On the night though, it was more than enough.