England Take Out ODI Against India By Nine Runs

England have taken out their first victory in an away one-day international against India in 14 attempts, with the side winning by nine runs in a thrilling end to the day.

England batted first on the pitch in Rajkot, and finished 325-5 after 50 overs after a successful opening partnership between Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, who scored 75 and 85 respectively.

India responded well, with Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina scoring half centuries, and the ending turned out to be a nail-biting one as the side went down nine wickets, but their eventual score of 316 wasn't enough to beat Cook's men.

Cook said after the win: "Everyone in the dressing room can be proud. It was a good toss to win, it was a good wicket and we made the most of it.

"The sixes hit by Samit and Craig ant the end of our innings really made a difference. To then defend 325 was a really good effort - we held our nerve well. India kept coming at us, but we took crucial wickets at the right time, I thought Tredders bowled brilliantly."

The win also asserted England's position at the top of the one-day rankings, and India captain Mahendra Dhoni said the match was very close, with a few tactical mistakes cost the side the ultimate error.

"It was a difficult target but I think we should have got it, as it was a very fast outfield and we hit the gaps rather than the fielders," he explained.

"Maybe if I'd batted for a couple more overs we would have won. It seemed for a while like they'd score 340 but then the spinners brought us back into it. Maybe we conceded too many runs late on but it's a new batch of bowlers we've got.

"Having five fielders in the circle can make a difference of 25-30 runs but once Raina and I got out, it was too much for us."

Man of the match James Tredwell, who took 4 for 44, added: "It was fortunate that we batted first, I could have a look at how the India bowlers did it. We got wickets at the right time, that's what helped get over the line."