Off-spinner James Tredwell played a vital role, claiming four wickets for 44 runs in 10 overs, on a flat wicket at the newly-built Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium in Rajkot, as England beat India in the first One-Day International by nine runs on Friday.
Chasing a stiff target of 326, India lacked the batting firepower and were restricted to a 316 for 9 in a high-scoring contest to concede a 1-0 lead to visitors in the five-match series.England, opting to bat first, smashed 64 runs in the last five overs, which ultimately proved crucial in the final analysis as India were left with too much to get in the end.
It was a creditable turnaround for the visitors, who came into match with back-to-back defeats in the warm-up games against India 'A' and Delhi respectively.
The teams will now travel to Kochi for the second one-dayer on January 15.
Earlier, a late surge by Samit Patel (44) helped EngIand pass the 300-run mark and set India 325 for victory.
England captain Alastair Cook's decision to bat first paid off as he and Ian Bell gave the tream a solid start.
After a cautious start, Cook got into the thick of action and found boundaries at will. He got his first boundary in the sixth over, smashing a short wide Ishant delivery through the cover region. That brought up his 500 runs against India in ODIs at an average of 31.
Bell started with positive intent and proved a great partner to Cook. He took Ishant Sharma to the cleaners and gave England the much-needed impetus early in the match.
Bell was lucky to receive two lives. First, in the fifth over, he edged a Bhuvneshwar delivery, but it went between keeper Dhoni and Ashwin at first slip -- both of them watching the ball go through, for a boundary.
He got the next big reprieve when Kumar's shout for LBW was turned down by umpire Steve Davies. Replays showed that Bell was struck in front of middle stump and below the knee roll.
By the seventh over, Bell took charge of the innings. He got the boundaries at regular intervals and, along with Cook, started to shape up England's innings.
Apart from the regular boundaries, the batsmen did well to cut through the field and steal many singles and twos to frustrate the Indians.
Dhoni replaced Sharma with Ashok Dinda and Kumar with Ashwin in the hope of breaking the partnership, but there was no such luck for the Indians.
The England batsmen continued to maul the bowlers, who looked clueless. Both completed their half centuries as the visitors reached 112 for no loss in 20 overs, having scored 58 runs in the first ten overs.
Cook and Bell put on a record opening stand for England against India in ODIs, beating the record of 133 by Chris Tavare and Barry Wood in 1982.
India finally managed a breakthrough in the 28th over, when, going for a quick run, Bell was caught short of his crease.
His superb knock, of 85 from 96 balls, came off nine fours and a six. He put on 158 runs in 27.4 overs for the opening wicket with Cook to put his team in control.
Raina then struck four overs later, having Cook caught at short fine leg.
Kevin Pietersen, who came in at the fall of Bell's wicket, also got into a nice rhythm and sent the Indian fielders on a leather hunt.
England's scoring rate plummeted after the fall of the openers even as Eoin Morgan tried to find his feet.
Morgan also got into a flow, and in the 42nd over hit Dinda for a four and a six. But Dinda got his revenge in the same over when he came up with a good, low catch on his follow through to dismiss Morgan (41 off 38 balls).
Two overs later, Pietersen (44 off 45) was dismissed after being caught by Kohli off Dinda.
Then Samit Patel and Craig Kieswetter propelled England in the death overs to get them to a massive target of 325-4.
India's openers played it safe, consolidating a quick start.
Ajinkya Rahane and Gautam Gambhir picked singles regularly to keep the scoreboard moving.
Gambhir and Rahane rotated the strike quite well.
Both batsmen played the flick, glance and slash well to gather runs at a fast clip and Gambhir even struck fast bowler Steven Finn for three successive fours in the latter's third over in which the English bowler conceded 17 runs.
Yuvraj pulled a short ball from Dernbach as Samit Patel misfielded while sliding near the ropes to give away a boundary that brought up the left-hander's half-century.
He raced to his fifty from just 38 balls, hitting eight fours and a six in the process.
Tredwell crippled India when he claimed the wicket of Suresh Raina, who lobbed a simple catch back to the bowler after a good knock of 50 from 49 balls.
The fifty was studded with seven fours.
Jade Dernbach got the big wicket of Dhoni, who picked the slower ball but hit it straight down the throat of Joe Root at long-off.
Dhoni walked back after scoring 32 from 25 balls and India's task got difficult with just the tail-enders left.
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