A below-par performance from England saw India seal a four-wicket win in the first one-day international in Southampton.
Chasing 259 to win, India all-rounder Deepti Sharma’s unbeaten 62 saw the tourists reach their target with 10 balls to spare.
The dismissals of Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh in quick succession, with 24 runs still needed from 27 balls, gave England a glimmer of hope and the prospect of a tense finale but Amanjot Kaur held her nerve with 20 not out to see India to their second-highest successful chase in ODIs.
Amid a sloppy fielding effort, England also paid the price for failing to review an lbw against Sharma when she was on 40.
It is a crucial series for England, who are looking to gain confidence from their final three matches in the format before the autumn’s World Cup in India.
The positives included Sophia Dunkley’s well-paced 83 from 92 balls, and Alice Davidson-Richards made 53 as they rescued an innings that was teetering at 97-4.
Openers Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones both fell cheaply to young seamer Kranti Goud, before Nat Sciver-Brunt and Emma Lamb fell in consecutive Sneh Rana overs, having added 71 for the third wicket.
Dunkley and Davidson-Richards dropped anchor with a steady and sensible stand of 106, and despite scoring 36 from the final three overs, it proved that England left it too late to accelerate with five wickets still in hand.
The three-match series continues at Lord’s on Saturday.
