Nick Knight played the reverse sweep well

After that early double scare, both batsmen settled into a dangerous, fast-scoring partnership - easily collecting runs off England's seamers.

It was champagne batting, and Nasser Hussain did not know where to turn.

Finally, Sehwag drove Paul Collingwood straight to mid-on to fall for 82 off just 62 balls.

But Tendulkar cruised past 11,000 runs in one-day cricket to finish on 87 not out - as India won with embarrassing ease.

Gough eventually had the consolation of clean bowling Sourav Ganguly for 26 with his slow off-break.

Then Tendulkar closed out the win with an effortless straight six off Jeremy Snape.

England go back to the drawing-board - and must win both remaining matches to salvage a 3-3 draw in the series.

Earlier, Nick Knight had hit a rapid 74 and Graham Thorpe a steadier 36 not out after Hussain won the toss on a decent, but slow wicket.

Rapid Knight

But after a fine start, England's middle order - Thorpe excepted - completely failed to deliver.

Warwickshire left-hander Knight put on a rapid 71 for the first wicket with Marcus Trescothick, who had to keep wicket because of a sudden illness to James Foster.

Knight brought up his eighteenth one-day 50 off just 57 balls. He produced a series of reverse laps and conventional sweeps to collect boundaries off both spinners.

But he tried the reverse sweep once too often and Harbhajan Singh eventually had him caught at backward square leg.

Trescothick is dropped by Ajay Ratra

Andrew Flintoff came in at number three and hit two good boundaries before holing out for 18 - Kumble the wicket-taker again.

The third wicket to go was Knight's. With the score on 144, he played the reverse sweep once too often as Harbhajan had him caught at backward square leg.

That signalled the customary collapse. Hussain was caught and bowled for 15 trying to drive Harbhajan, before Ganguly produced a killer spell.

India's unsung third seamer bowled Collingwood and Michael Vaughan for single figure scores and slowed the scoring right down.

Thorpe took until the 38th over before collecting his first boundary, but without his efforts England would have really struggled.

The scheduled start had to be put back following overnight rain, plus heavy mist and dew at the Green Park Ground.

India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Virender Sehwag, Hemang Badani, Ajay Ratra (wicketkeeper), Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath

England Nasser Hussain (captain), Marcus Trescothick (wicketkeeper), Nick Knight, Graham Thorpe, Michael Vaughan, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Ben Hollioake, Jeremy Snape, Darren Gough, Matthew Hoggard.