There cannot be a better way to start a series that a victory. And India did just that, defeating Australia by five wickets in the first women's one-day international cricket match.

It is the first time that a women's team has toured India for nine years, an it is hoped that the series will give a boost to the women's game. The way the Indians went about it today showed them clearly superior to the visitors.

Though captain Poornima Rau said she would have chosen to bat had she won the toss, it was perhaps just as well that the toss was won by her Australian counterpart Karen Rolton. With the pressure on the visitors to set India a stiff target, the home team's spinners could exploit that advantage.

They did quite well, Poornima Rau showing the way with three wickets. The off-spinner, along with Diana Eduljee and K.S. Pramila wove a spin web around the tourists. The Australians, still trying to get used to the Indian pitches, showed they were vulnerable to spin.

After medium-pacer Laya Francis made the breakthrough early sending back Natalie Dwyer in the seventh over, the spinners took over. The move ensured that the Australians spent most of the time at the wicket defending. The Indian bowlers were well supported by Anju Jain, who had a total of three catches and two stumpings in the match.

Apart from opener Maryanne Brandon, who topscored with 22, only three other players reached double figures - Rolton (20), Melanie Jones (17) and Jane Franklin (13). They saw to it that the Australian total crossed 100.

It was tough going, however. The 50 of the innings came in the 23rd over and the 100 in the 41st. In the interim, Australia lost regular wickets and the lack of a big partnership hampered their efforts.

For the more experienced Indians, the victory target of 112 was always attainable. In fact as Poornima said later, they sould have won it in a more thumping fashion.

Aarti Vaidya began in aggressive fashion, three fours in her score of 29. Had Anju Jain kept her company longer, the openers might have rattled off the runs in quick time. But Anju was run out to a smart bit of fielding by Melanie Jones at cover, who misfielded and had plenty of time to recover and throw to wicket-keeper Julia Price, with Anju having to get back from the other end.

Sandhya Agarwal and Rishija Chandrakanta, later declared the player of the match, pushed the score along briskly to 94, before the Indian innings stumbled. Sandhya and Poornima were trapped leg-before off successive balls by Jo Garey. And when Mala Sundareshan was bowled by Rolton, India slipped from 94 for three to 95 for 5.

But by then, there were only 12 runs left to get for victory, and if India took until the 44th over to get them, it was because of some restrictive bowling by Garey.