FIRST ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL, Rajkot:
India 387-5 (50 overs) beat England 229 (37.4 overs) by 158 runs

England suffered their heaviest defeat in one-day internationals as Yuvraj Singh's century and a batting collapse saw them thrashed by India in Rajkot.

Openers Virender Sehwag (85) and Gautam Gambhir (51) gave India a fine start before Yuvraj crafted 138 off 78 balls.

Replying to India's 387-5, England fell to 38-4 with Zaheer Khan taking (3-26).

Captain Kevin Pietersen (63) tried to haul his side back into the match but was run out and the tourists were soon dismissed for 229, a loss of 158 runs.

Ravi Bopara weighed in with an impressive 54 not out but that will be of little consolation to England who, based on this performance, will struggle to work their way back into the series.

The teams travel to Indore for the second ODI on Monday with India, fresh from their Test series win against Australia, in scintillating form with both bat and ball.

Pietersen would have been delighted to win the toss on a grassy wicket that with an early start time was likely to offer the seam bowlers pace, bounce and movement in the opening stages.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad probed away in search of early wickets but in Sehwag and Gambhir, the tourists were faced with world cricket's in-form first-wicket partnership.

Sehwag was particularly fluent, exploiting the devilishly quick outfield by working anything short, full or into the legs for a flurry of early boundaries.

Gambhir soon burst into life and the pair dispatched every loose delivery, their running between the wickets was exemplary.

Paul Collingwood saw Sehwag bludgeon his first two deliveries over mid-off and midwicket for sixes but that over, which went for 19 runs, was a sign of things to come.

Initially England responded well - Flintoff was unfortunate to see an lbw appeal against Sehwag rejected by umpire Russell Tiffin and Samit Patel had Gambhir taken by Owais Shah at long-off.

Patel had Sehwag caught brilliantly by a diving Ian Bell at midwicket but that brought Yuvraj to the crease and the fireworks duly began.

The 26-year-old, who hit a Broad over for six maximums during the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, was suffering from a back injury but it appeared to have anything but a detrimental affect on his batting.

After Suresh Raina had belted Broad over midwicket and Pietersen over long-on for sixes, Yuvraj smashed Flintoff and Harmison for huge sixes over long-on.

Raina fell for 43 when he sliced a Flintoff full toss to Collingwood at backward point and, four balls later, Yusuf Pathan pulled Harmison weakly to Bell at midwicket.

There would, however, be no let up for England and Yuvraj hit Broad for a flat six over cover point and pulled the next ball for four.

With Mahendra Dhoni helping to keep the run-rate at over seven per over, Yuvraj was able to relax and the 44th over, bowled by Patel, went for 17 including two fours and yet another enormous six.

The bowling became erratic and Dhoni lifted Anderson over long-off for six before Yuvraj completed the quickest one-day century by anyone against England.

Yuvraj played remarkable shots, none more so than when Flintoff was volleyed and half-volleyed over long-on for consecutive sixes.