INDIA put their Test woes behind them to launch the one-day segment of their tour with a comfortable six-wicket victory over Sussex at Hove. A capacity crowd of 7 000 were disappointed when Sachin Tendulkar fell for 21, but half-centuries from Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma enabled the tourists to chalk up the win, their first of the tour, as they eased to a Duckworth-Lewis adjusted target of 235 in 45 overs with 4.1 overs to spare.
Sussex had earlier threatened to post a more imposing total after useful middle-order contributions from Joe Gatting (46), Matt Machan (58) and Ben Brown (48). But they subsided dramatically after Brown mis-timed a slog at Munaf Patel in the 43rd over, losing their last five wickets for 18 runs in 19 balls.
India included five members of their World Cup-winning side, and Tendulkar and Patel began confidently enough with a stand of 41 in 7.4 overs before left-armer Chris Liddle foxed Tendulkar with a slower ball which was driven to mid-off.
Patel is anxious to press his claims for a role in the forthcoming one-day series and played attractively for his 55 off 65 balls, including nine fours, before Sussex skipper Chris Nash turned one past him with his first delivery.
Nash and leg-spinner Will Beer occasionally got some sharp turn from a worn pitch but the impressive Kohli and Sharma, who hit two fifties during the one-day series against West Indies in June, improved their chances of facing England in a stand of 104 in 17.5 overs.
Kohli hit six fours and a six off Naved Arif in his 71 (83 balls) before driving to mid-on, but India needed just 27 to win when he departed and Sharma eased to an unbeaten 61 from 65 balls with eight fours and a six.