Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel smashed half-centuries as India defeated England by four wickets in the opening one-day international on Thursday and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series that is a warmup for the Champions Trophy.

Harshit 3-53 India 251-6 (38.4 overs) Gill 87, Iyer 59; Mahmood 2-47 India won by four wickets; lead series 1-0 Scorecard England suffered another disappointing defeat in Brendon McCullum's first one-day international in charge as India won their series opener in Nagpur by four wickets.

Debutant Harshit Rana grabbed three wickets and vice-captain Shubman Gill hit 87 runs off 96 balls for India to beat England by four wickets in the first one-day international at VCA Stadium on Thursday.

England will play Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy later this month despite calls from British politicians to boycott the match over the Taliban regime's curtailment of women's rights. More than 160 British politicians had called for a boycott as female participation in sport has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban's return to power in 2021.

By Mitch Phillips BAGSHOT, England (Reuters) -Fin Smith will start at flyhalf for England at home to France on Saturday, with Marcus Smith switching to fullback, as coach Steve Borthwick seeks to reignite his attack and get a win to revive his team's Six Nations campaign.

England coach Steve Borthwick has said he is excited to unleash the Fin Smith, Marcus Smith combination against France at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday.

England have made a bold selection shake-up for Saturday's Six Nations clash with France at Twickenham, with Marcus Smith moving to fullback and Fin Smith earning his first Test start at fly-half. The dramatic changes come as Steve Borthwick's side look to bounce back from their opening weekend defeat in Ireland.