India was desperately looking to start the five-match series against England off in winning fashion after losing the Test series to the English 2-1 and then most recently going down 2-1 to Pakistan in a three-game one-day series.
England got off to a flying start thanks to openers Alastair Cook and Ian Bell with a 158-run opening stand, and thanks to big late hitting from Samit Patel amassed 4-325. Three Indian players reached half-centuries in the run chase, but James Tredwell took 4-44 to help restrict the home side to 9-316.
England captain Cook won the toss and elected to bat on a wicket that was sure to be a batsmen's paradise, and that's exactly the way it panned out.
Cook opened the innings alongside Bell and the pair were rarely troubled on their way to an opening stand of 158 off just 166 balls. Bell was the first to fall for 85 from 96 deliveries with nine fours and a six.
He was run out but it didn’t take much longer for India to get its first wicket with the ball when the part-timer Suresh Raina picked up Cook for 75 from 81 balls. His innings included 11 boundaries and a six and he had put England in a strong position at 2-172 in the 32nd over.
Eoin Morgan and Kevin Pietersen then picked up where the openers left off adding 76 at better than a run a ball for the third wicket before Morgan was out for 41 with England 3-248 at the end of 42 overs.
Pietersen fell soon after for 44, but then wicket-keeper Craig Kieswetter and Patel ensured that England raced past 300 and set India a massive run chase.
Kieswetter remained 24 not out from 20 balls with two sixes, but Patel was the real star finishing not out on 44 from 20 delivers with six boundaries and a six.
England finished with 4-325 from its 50 overs.
Ishant Sharma received especially harsh treatment during the innings finishing with figures of 0-86 from 10 overs. Ashok Dinda was the best of India's bowlers with 2-53 from eight overs.
India made a solid start to its huge chase with Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane putting on an opening stand of 96 from 100 balls before Rahane became Tredwell's first scalp for 47.
Gambhir fell just two overs later for 52, also to Tredwell, and India had to start all over again at 2-10 in the 19th over.
Virat Kohli's poor run of form continued when he was caught behind off Tim Bresnan for 15, but Yuvraj Singh and Raina then made sure the Indians remained some chance.
The pair combined for a 60-run stand at a healthy run rate with Yuvraj hitting eight fours and a six in his knock of 61 from 54 balls before he became Tredwell's third scalp.
Raina remained at the wicket, though, and put on 45 with MS Dhoni before spooning back a simple caught and bowled catch to Tredwell when he was on 50.
Dhoni then got hitting and launched four massive sixes to ensure the crowd remained buoyant, but when he fell for 32, India's hopes were all but gone.
They did get within nine runs, but never seriously threatened to reach the total finishing up on 9-316 with Bhuvneshwar Kumar not out on 20 and Sharma on seven.
Off-spinner Tredwell was the star with the ball for England with 4-44 from his 10 overs to earn man-of-the-match honours. Jade Dernbach took 2-69, Bresnan 2-67 and Steve Finn 1-63.