India beat England by four wickets in the Champions Trophy curtain-raiser in Jaipur after the hosts had produced an excellent bowling performance.

Munaf Patel and Ramesh Powar each took three wickets and Irfan Pathan removed Andrew Flintoff for a duck as England were bowled out for 125 in 37 overs.

England fought back valiantly with the ball, taking six Indian wickets in all.

But the tourists had not scored enough runs and Yuvraj Singh (27 not out) got the hosts home in the 30th over.

Interview: England captain Andrew Flintoff

By Paresh Soni

INDIA WIN BY FOUR WICKETS

30th over: Harbhajan's had enough and a leg-stump half-volley from Mahmood is flicked away to end proceedings.

29th over (122-6): More tidy stuff from Dalrymple, who again has come out of a losing England performance with a lot of credit.

28th over (121-6): You wouldn't credit it, but suddenly there's a bit of tension around the ground. India have made a right mess of this and the newspaper headlines will not make easy reading for Dravid and coach Chappell.

27th over: WICKET India 119-6 (Raina b Dalrymple 0) Raina nearly guides his first ball to silly-point but cannot keep the next out and is bowled by Dalrymple, who is on fire! But it's come a bit too late from England's point of view...

27th over: WICKET India 119-5 (Dhoni c Collingwood b Dalrymple 26) And there is almost silence when Dhoni thrashes the off-spinner to mid-on, where Collingwood makes a difficult catch look ridiculously easy.

27th over: The crowd erupts even though Dhoni completely misses with a huge heave off Dalrymple.

26th over (118-4): Dhoni has really reined in his attacking instincts - and the sense of tedium is growing around the stadium.

25th over (115-4): The batsmen seem prepared to get there in singles now and two come in Dalrymple's next over.

24th over (113-4): Dhoni's helmet is back on with Mahmood returning. Yuvraj is again caused problems by the Lancashire paceman and it's been a mixed innings - a lot of scratching around mixed with several fine shots.

23rd over (112-4): Dhoni swaps his helmet for a cap as Dalrymple prepares to bowl his first over. Maybe he will give the crowd an entertaining finish to go home with.

22nd over (111-4): Good fielding from Pietersen on the backward point boundary denies Yuvraj four following a powerful cut off Yardy. The atmosphere has gone flat with the result all but decided.

21st over (108-4): Another delicious piece of timing from Yuvraj sees a gentle push off Harmison race away to the long-on boundary.

20th over (103-4): Dhoni shows Yardy some respect, no big hitting yet. How long will it last, though?

19th over (100-4): Harmison, now approaching his best, beats Dhoni with a good delivery which passes just by his bat in a flash. Dhoni hit 183 off 145 balls in his last appearance here.

19th over: WICKET India 98-4 (Tendulkar lbw b Harmison 35) Tendulkar is helpless as the ball scrapes along the ground and hits him low on the pad right in front. Another couple of wickets now and it might just get a bit interesting.

18th over (98-3): Yardy keeps the scoring down to three but you can't escape the feeling that this is just delaying the inevitable.

17th over (95-3): Yuvraj fishes outside off-stump and almost edges behind. This has been a good comeback from Harmison.

16th over (93-3): Left-arm spinner Yardy is introduced and he almost has Tendulkar lbw first ball after beating him for pace. His stock ball is around 60mph - more like medium-spin. The great Tendulkar probably hasn't seen anything like this.

15th over (92-3): Harmison comes back and looks much happier as he gets his line and length right.

14th over (91-3): Mahmood continues with the short stuff to Yuvraj and a wide is called when he sends two bouncers down. Yuvraj responds with a delightful drive on the up for four.

13th over (85-3): Anderson produces a good yorker but it's drifting down leg-side, which saves Tendulkar. Yuvraj times the ball exquisitely to push down the ground and pick up his first four. He produces an even better shot, possibly the best of the day, to crack a half-volley through the covers.

12th over (74-3): Mahmood causes Yuvraj problems with some short-pitched stuff - it looks a plan on England's part to unsettle the left-hander.

11th over (72-3): Anderson produces a good short delivery first up to Yuvraj and he almost gloves it behind. Apparently the firework display was supposed to start after the game.

11th over: WICKET India 72-3 (Dravid c Strauss b Anderson 4) Well, well, have we got a game on here? Dravid - "The Wall" - crumbles to the magic of Anderson, edging to a gleeful Strauss at slip. It's still India's to lose but that will give England some comfort on an otherwise miserable day.

11th over: With fireworks lighting up the sky above, Dravid starts off with a cracker of his own, a fine square-drive.

11th over: WICKET India 68-2 (Pathan c Pietersen b Anderson 19) Pietersen leaps high up to pluck out a stunner at extra-cover to send Pathan on his way. That was a breathtaking catch and Anderson has a wicket on his comeback.

10th over (68-1): Mahmood, who bowled quite well before the break, is a tad short and Tendulkar rocks back to force him away to long-leg. Mahmood then over-pitches and is cracked over extra-cover for four more to bring up the fifty partnership. This might be over in a hurry!

9th over (60-1): Tendulkar has a slice of luck from Anderson's first ball after the resumption, an inside edge just missing leg-stump. Pathan punishes some width on the leg-side by turning the ball down to the fine-leg boundary.

DINNER BREAK:

8th over (55-1): Mahmood is working up some real pace and the ball whistles past Tendulkar. One of the greatest batsmen in history was troubled by that one. Pathan is not too bothered and laces a wider delivery through extra-cover. No-one moves.

7th over (50-1): Bad luck for Anderson, whose lbw appeal against Pathan is rejected by Harper even though it hits the pad in line. It's a maiden but that will be of little consolation to the England paceman.

6th over (50-1): Mahmood - with an economy rate of 6.39 runs an over - is brought on for Harmison. He makes an unusually accurate start, keeping the scoring down to two, but India move up to 50.

5th over (48-1): Tendulkar is timing the ball superbly and only a sliding stop from Yardy at the extra-cover boundary keeps him down to three. After the carnage of the previous overs that was a quiet one from Anderson.

4th over (45-1): Harmison is having a nightmare. Another leg-side ball flicks off Pathan's pad to the fine-leg fence and Pathan thrashes the next over backward point. Harmison does well to bowl four dot balls after that but the horse has bolted...

3rd over (37-1): Pathan plays arguably the shot of the day, a majestic cover drive off Anderson. Tendulkar inside-edges and punches elegantly off the back foot for successive boundaries. At this rate the game could be over by the scheduled dinner break.

2nd over (23-1): Pathan cuts his first ball high and wide of the slips for one down to third man before Tendulkar on-drives sumptuously for another boundary. Amazingly the over ends with a dot ball. As one of the commentators just said, that was like a highlights package on its own.

2nd over: WICKET India 18-1 (Sehwag c Strauss b Harmison 9) Harmison sends down what looks to be another wide but Sehwag chases it and edges to Strauss at slip. A real gift for England and relief for Harmison. We still have three balls left in this over!

2nd over: A woeful start from Harmison: four wides down the leg-side followed by a rank long-hop which Sehwag carves away and another wide. That's more extras given away than India did in England's entire innings. Sehwag makes it 14 off two balls by putting a half-volley through mid-wicket and Harmison dishes out another wide. This is painful viewing.

1st over (3-0): Anderson runs in for his first international over in six months and Sehwag guides the first ball for a single down to third man. Tendulkar square-drives effortlessly for two after being beaten by one which keeps low.

INNINGS BREAK

37th over: WICKET England 125 all out (Anderson run out 1) A sorry batting display ends in...sorry circumstances as Harmison's firm drive is deftly turned by Powar on to the stumps with Anderson's bat just short of the crease. England need an inspired bowling performance to pull this one out you have to say.

37th over: WICKET England 124-9 (Dalrymple c Dravid b Powar 24) Dalrymple's defiance comes to an end in sad style. He charges at Powar but can only guide the ball into Dravid's safe hands at slip. That's three wickets for Powar, who has bowled quite beautifully.

36th over (124-8): Harmison runs one down to third man for two. He won't be happy to nudge it around for much longer.

35th over: WICKET England 119-8 (Mahmood c Harbhajan b Powar 8) It makes no difference as Harbhajan takes a fantastic catch running round to long-on, just inside the boundary rope, to send Mahmood on his way. Another one of those crazy moments for Sajid.

35th over: Dalrymple connects with a reverse-sweep this time and paddles Powar towards third-man, where Sehwag athletically prevents the four. Mahmood is lucky to survive a strong lbw shout.

34th over (116-7): Mahmood already looks more assured than some of the senior batsmen, pushing Harbhajan confidently through point for two.

33rd over (113-7): Mahmood drives Powar majestically to the long-off boundary. There is no doubting the big Lancastrian's talent, but his brain does get scrambled all too often.

32nd over: WICKET England 107-7 (Read c Pathan b Harbhajan 2) Read is deceived by a flighted Harbhajan delivery and lofts it straight to long-on to complete an eventful, and very brief, innings. England will do well to get to 150 now.

31st over (105-6): Read has a massive break when his attempted sweep comes cleanly off his glove but Taufel, astonishingly, shakes his head. Powar should have had a second wicket there.

31st over: WICKET England 104-6 (Collingwood c Dhoni b Powar 38) Umpire Taufel rules there was an inside edge off the pad after Dhoni runs round to take the catch and that's a real blow for England just when these two were building a handy partnership. After several replays it looks like there was a very faint brush of the glove.

30th over (104-5): Collingwood sweeps Harbhajan for three and picks up a fourth after an overthrow to take England past 100.

29th over (99-5): Powar is frustrating Dalrymple with his variation and the Middlesex man has a rare rush of blood, attempting an audacious reverse-sweep which almost carries to Pathan at point. Collingwood comes up to have a quiet word with him and remind him what he's good at.

28th over (99-5): Collingwood is playing quite brilliantly and lofts Harbhajan down the ground for four.

27th over (93-5): Powar, an Indian version of former children's TV presenter Timmy Mallett, is heaved away with authority over mid-wicket by Collingwood.

26th over (86-5): England equal their lowest ODI score, which looked unlikely at one stage.

25th over (85-5): The spinners are racing through their overs - sweat is dripping off Powar as he wheels away. Collingwood and Dalrymple have added 30 in quick time, though.

24th over (81-5): Harbhajan maintains the control in the next over - he proved very difficult for England to get away when they toured India earlier this year.

23rd over (80-5): The rotund Powar is brought on and starts tidily.

22nd over (79-5): The first dose of spin as Harbhajan is brought on. Dalrymple punches off the back foot for three through cover and the rotund Powar retrieves the ball.

21st over (74-5): Dalrymple, who has a knack of chipping in with a tidy 30 in a lost cause, plays a nice square drive off Patel for four.

20th over (69-5): Four bonus runs for Dalrymple when he takes a quick single off Agarkar and Yuvraj's throw runs away to the boundary after hitting the stumps. Collingwood follows it with a firm on-drive and an edge to third man for successive fours.

19th over: WICKET England 55-5 (Pietersen c Tendulkar b Patek 27) I spoke too soon. Pietersen's attempted drive succeeds only in edging to slip and what momentum England were building has been brought to a shuddering halt. That's a hammer blow to their chances of a respectable total.

19th over: Take that! Pietersen crashes Patel gloriously off the back foot through the covers. Even though KP's been relatively quiet, he's made 27 off 35 balls and he's starting to warm up now.

18th over (51-4): Classic Pietersen - he skips down the pitch and flicks Agarkar down to long-leg and only good fielding from Raina at cover prevents another four. An inside-edge brings up 50 for England.

17th over (45-4): Patel is back after the drinks break and surprises Collingwood with one that spits up and hits him on the hand. The next one keeps low to illustrate the problems for the batsmen.

16th over (44-4): Collingwood cleverly comes down the track and nudges on the leg-side for three more before Pietersen delightfully picks Agarkar's off-cutter off middle-stump and whips him high over mid-wicket for four. India are rattled!

15th (36-4): Lo and behold, Pietersen middles one and drives Pathan wide of mid-on for a four! Collingwood then pushes through the covers for three - it's a deluge!

14th over (28-4): Even Pietersen is subdued and you can't see where the next boundary is going to come from - we've only had one so far and that was an edge to third man.

13th over: WICKET England 27-4 (Strauss c Dravid b Pathan 10) Strauss' luck runs out when Pathan cleverly adjusts his length and the edge flies through to Dravid at second slip. Disarray has become a crisis for England.

12th (27-3): The first change sees Agarkar replace the impressive Patel and, as predicted, Pietersen throws everything at one his deliveries, carving it backward of point and scurrying back for a second. Strauss is fortunate when he mis-times a pull and it lobs just between mid-on and mid-wicket.

11th over (22-3): It's been a quiet start for Pietersen - surely he cannot be contained for too long?

10th (21-3): The bounce has been variable and Pietersen is alarmed by one which almost skids along the ground. It's a battle for survival out there at the moment.

9th over (19-3): Pietersen almost edges Pathan behind. Not to be the harbinger of doom, but England's lowest ODI total is 86 against Australia at Old Trafford in 2001.

8th over: WICKET England 17-3 (Yardy lbw b Patel 4): Yardy flicks through the on-side for two more but comes unstuck next ball when another straight Patel delivery gives Harper an easy decision. England are in disarray already.

7th over (15-2): Dravid has three slips in place for Pathan's next over, with the ball swinging. Mercifully, from an England point of view, Yardy pushes out on the off-side for his first two runs.

6th over (11-2): Patel bowls another accurate over and this has echoes of Sri Lanka v West Indies on Saturday. The Windies managed 80.

5th over: WICKET 11-2 (Flintoff lbw Pathan 0) Disaster for England as Pathan swings one into the skipper and Flintoff is gone for a seven-ball duck. Yardy is promoted - England are keeping Pietersen back for later, but if things continue as they are he might be in fairly soon anyway.

5th over : Strauss picks up a single off Pathan which has the considerable frame of Powar, ahem, scampering across to his left. Powar famously refuses to exercise and cut down on his eating.

4th over: WICKET England 10-1 (Bell lbw b Patel 4) Bell is beaten by a straightish one and although it hit high on the pad umpire Harper lifts his finger and that's an early blow for England. Replays show the batsman was unlucky.

4th over: Patel runs in as the TV cameras hone in on former Miss World-turned-actress Priyanka Chopra and Bollywood's biggest star Shah Rukh Khan.

3rd over (10-0): Pathan is right on the button and raps Bell on the pad but the lbw appeal is rejected. Good timing from the young Warwickshire man sees him pick up three on the off-side. Strauss is lucky to see his edge fly wide of second slip for four. England are determined to get on with things here.

2nd over (3-0): Bell takes a single, while Strauss clips Patel off his legs for two.

1st over (0-0): Pathan immediately finds some swing as huge ravens fly overhead. A maiden.

0958 BST: The Indian team come out to huge cheers from a noisy crowd at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in the Pink City. England need to get off to a start because next up are world champions Australia.

0935 BST: Dravid opts to bowl, saying he would prefer his spinners to bowl earlier, with the evening dew making it difficult to grip the ball. Flintoff says he doesn't mind either way - if anything he believes it will be harder to score later on with the cracks in the pitch.

Team news: Flintoff will bat at three in his 100th ODI appearance - his first international game since June, while Anderson and Harmison are also back after lengthy injury absences. Clarke, Joyce and Lewis miss out. India, like England, are playing two spinners in Powar and Harbhajan.

India: Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid (capt), Yuvraj, Raina, Dhoni, Pathan, Powar, Harbhajan, Agarkar, Patel.

England: Strauss, Bell, Flintoff (capt), Pietersen, Collingwood, Yardy, Dalrymple, Read, Mahmood, Harmison, Anderson.