India's final total was their first in excess of 300 in 14 international innings on this tour, Tests included, and was greeted with glee by yet another huge contingent of flag-bearing fans, who ensured that the dismal figure of 922 punters who turned out to watch England's last day of international cricket in Wales, against Sri Lanka back in May, was entirely overshadowed. The final flourish was provided by MS Dhoni, who belted a 26-ball half-century as India added 67 runs in the last six overs, before - as if in a sign of stormy times weathered - a rainbow emerged from the middle of the pitch during the innings break.

On a lively deck, and with the threat of showers and evening dew influencing his decision, Alastair Cook won his fifth toss in a row and chose to bowl first, but England struggled for breakthroughs against an opposition determined to secure their first victory of the tour at the final attempt. Their fielding, so secure for most of the series, became notably ragged at key moments of the innings, and though Steven Finn kept the Powerplays in check with an excellent first spell of seven overs for 22, England were once again indebted to the spin of Graeme Swann, who returned figures of 3 for 34 in nine overs to prevent the run-rate from getting completely out of hand.

With the series in the bag already after victories at the Rose Bowl and The Oval, England made three changes to the side that tied at Lord's last Sunday, with Jonny Bairstow, the son of the former England and Yorkshire wicketkeeper, David, coming in for his first cap. But it was the absence of the injured Stuart Broad and the rested James Anderson that proved telling for England. Samit Patel compounded two dropped catches with an ineffective eight-over spell, while Jade Dernbach's box of tricks was once again decoded as he was battered for 73 in ten overs, including 16 from the final one of the innings.

The start of India's innings had been cautious but composed, as Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane added 52 for the first wicket, with the first boundary not appearing until the ninth over. Finn's line and length with the new ball was impressive as he buzzed past the splice on regular occasions, and he should have made the breakthrough when Patel spilled Rahane on the third man boundary. Instead, it was Finn himself who showed how it was done with a sprawling dive in the same position off Dernbach, before Parthiv holed out to mid-on as he attempted to get aggressive in Swann's first over.

It was Dravid and Kohli who turned on the style, slowly at first but with increasing poise as their partnership mounted. Dernbach's sixth over was dispatched for 15 as Kohli's strong wrists and superb timing plundered his variations, before Patel was battered out of the attack with two fours over midwicket and a massive spring-loaded six over long-off. Though he slowed his tempo with his hundred in sight, he eventually turned Swann through square leg for a single to bring up his landmark from 87 deliveries, and was celebrating with jubilation before he had even completed the run.

One delivery later, Dravid's ODI career was brought to an end as Swann tweaked one through his gate and into the top of off stump, whereupon the entire England team came up to shake the hand of a true champion of the sport, whose final tour of England has also, in many ways, been his most personally momentous. One over later, Kohli overcame two close shaves from consecutive deliveries, as he survived a referral for caught behind before being dropped at long-on by Ian Bell, but in Swann's next over, he stepped back into his crease to work a single to leg, but succeeded only in treading on his own stumps.

While India's total was impressive, they will have to defend their score without the services of their most reliable bowler, Praveen Kumar, who slipped while playing football in the pre-match warm-up and twisted his ankle. He has been replaced by Vinay Kumar, although according to Shivlal Yadav, the Indian manager, he might have been passed fit had the match not been a dead rubber. That may be so, but it's still a contest India desperately want to win.

England 1 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 2 Alastair Cook (capt), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Jade Dernbach

India 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Parthiv Patel, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Vinay Kumar, 10 Munaf Patel, 11 RP Singh.