Raj knock helps breaks England streak

Captain Mithali Raj struck an unbeaten 94 as India Women beat England Women by five wickets to take a 1-0 lead in their five-match ODI series. The result, which was achieved with three balls to spare despite India losing two wickets in three deliveries at the end, ended England's run of seven consecutive wins in one-day internationals.

Raj, who paced her 111-ball innings supremely well, was involved in a hundred-run stand for the second wicket with Poonam Raut (60) and added a further 89 with Harmanpreet Kaur. However, Kaur's dismissal with 14 required from 15 balls led to a brief wobble, as Danielle Wyatt had Veda Krishnamurthy caught off the final ball of the 49th over - with two still needed - and Sulakshana Naik was run out without scoring from the second delivery of the final over. That dismissal brought Raj on strike, though, and she stroked the winning runs.

England's total was built around Arran Brindle's innings of 58 but India outfielded their opponents and struck at regular intervals to prevent them building partnerships. Nagarajan Niranjana claimed 3 for 28 from her 10 overs, while Archana Das took four wickets despite being more expensive. For England, who lost star opener Charlotte Edwards for a ten-ball 1, six players made between 12 and 38 but were unable to go on, as the hosts were dismissed with five balls of their allocation remaining.