India beat England by 158 runs in Rajkot ODI

Rajkot, Nov.14 (ANI): India thrashed England by 158 runs in the first of seven one-day internationals held here on Friday.

Chasing a mammoth target of 388 runs, England were bowled out for 229 runs in 37.4 overs,losing wickets at regular intervals. Only skipper Kevin Pietersen shone with the bat, scoring a 56-ball 63 with seven fours and two sixes. It was his 20th ODI fifty.

Fast bowler Zaheer Khan wrecked the England batting line-up by taking 3/26 off seven overs. He was ably supported by Munaf Patel and R P Singh who took a wicket each.

Earlier, India posted 387 for 5 in 50 overs. Gautam Gambhir (51) and Virender Sehwag (85) added 127 for the first wicket, after which Yuvraj Singh overcame a stiff back to slam an unbeaten 138 from only 78 balls. He scored the runs with the help of 16 boundaries and six sixes.

It was the fastest ODI hundred against England, while India's total beat the previous best against this team - Pakistan's 353 in Karachi in 2005. It was also India's best total at home and second highest anywhere. (ANI)