Shubman Gill missed out on a century by 13 runs but his huge stands with Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel took India to a four-wicket win with just over 11 overs to spare. | Crickit

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.

Kohli missed out due to injury but ODI regulars played their roles as hosts record a four-wicket win over England in Nagpur.

It was both untidy and emphatic. India made light work of their 249 target, passing it with 68 deliveries to spare in Nagpur. That they only won this first ODI by four wickets was down to an unnecessarily messy finish. One that spoke more to their disorder at how simple this was than any rallying from England's part.

Chasing a below 250 score, Gill anchored the innings, forging key partnerships with Iyer and Axar that became the backbone of India's chase

Shreyas Iyer fell to Jacob Bethell on 59 in 36 balls. Iyer put up a sublime display of attacking batting and raced to his half-century in just 30 balls. His counter-attacking stand with Shubman Gill undid whatever advantage England gained with early strikes.