A lower-middle order meltdown that saw the English Women lose their last seven wickets for 25 runs, consigned the World Champions to a 66-run loss in the first ODI at Mumbai.

Chasing 203, England got off to a worse possible start with Shikha Pandey trapping Amy Jones LBW for 1. Tammy Beaumont and wicket-keeper, too, fell in quick succession to Sharma and Shikha Pandey to leave the visitors reeling at 3-38 in 13.2 overs.

India got all the momentum that they needed while defending a poultry total of 203, but a 73-run stand between Natalie Sciver [44] and skipper Heather Knight [39*] consolidated England's innings.

As they say, while chasing a target, run-out is the last thing that you need- especially at a crucial juncture, which was what happened with England.

The moment arrived in the 31st over when Natalie Sciver, who had taken a big start at the non-striker's end, only to find herself short of the crease against an Ekta Bisht throw.

Sciver's dismissal kickstarted a fateful collapse as Ekta Bisht [4-25] and Shikha Pandey ran through the lower-middle order to bowl the World Champions out for 136 in 41 overs.

Earlier, a similar script ensued for the Women in Blue as the middle-order was not able to cash in on the 69-run opening stand between Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana, and it took a handy contribution of 30 by Jhulan Goswami to take the total past 200.

Ekta Bist was awarded the Player of the Match award for her figures of 4-25.

Match in Brief-.

India [202, Rodrigues 48, Ecclestone 2-27] beat England [136, Sciver 44, Bisht 4-25] by 66 runs