In the end this newly moulded and purpose-built one-day international side came through two periods in the middle of the game when little went right for them to record a nail-biting but impressive seven-run win.
Matthew Fleming, with figures of four for 45 when the heat of Tendulkar's assault was at its height, was outstanding in his first one-day international, proudly watched by his mother.
He conceded no boundaries and justified the selectors' faith in his ability to bowl as effectively as any man in England at the death of a one-day match.
The other keys to victory were an exceptionally fine hundred by Alec Stewart, only his second in 91 internationals; the skilful variations of pace by the other two medium-paced all-rounders, Mark Ealham and Adam Hollioake; and the rapidity with which the hard and shiny white ball became soft and grey on the bald, pale pitch.
Except against the new ball in both innings, these were not (and will not be throughout the week ahead) the right conditions for scintillating stroke-players, who like the ball to hasten on to the bat.
Few fit that stroke-play description better than Stewart, which made this one of the best of the 86 innings he has played in one-day internationals, quite apart from it being the highest.
This one was the product of positive, calculated, but never unthinking batting against an Indian attack who gave him very few easy runs.
India chose to field first in an atmosphere of excited anticipation which, even on the coast of Arabia, was peculiarly sub-continental. Before and after dark the temperature remained comfortably in the seventies and even the coloured clothes (both sides in a largely monochrome blue) were tastefully designed.
Stewart and Alistair Brown got their team away to a brisk start before Brown lofted the tall, slim and admirably straight Abey Kuruvilla to deep mid-on in the eighth over, but by then Stewart, driving hard and placing the ball into gaps, despite being given no chance to play his favourite cuts and on-drives, had already reached 46.
He reached 50 with his fourth and sweetest four, driven on the up through extra cover off the stocky, medium-paced Robin Singh, and celebrated at once with his first and only six, lifted nonchalantly over long-on.
Right through to the 40th over Stewart was given ideal support, first by Nick Knight and then by Graeme Hick. Both hit straight sixes, Knight driving Kuruvilla just to the on side of straight and Hick hitting the off-spin of Rajesh Chauhan high into the gabled concrete pavilion, where the stadium's founder, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, reposed in suitable splendour.
Until that moment Chauhan had bowled very well, getting some turn and never wavering in length. Knight drove him high to long-on in the 25th over, but Stewart had sailed serenely on to a 92-ball hundred by the time that Hick dragged a pull on to his stumps.
Having made a lordly acknowledgment of the applause for his hundred from all points of the ground, England's vice-captain allowed himself a brief breather, and the innings never regained momentum.
Hollioake promoted himself ahead of Thorpe to try to force the pace in the last 10 overs but, instead, Stewart pushed Anil Kumble gently to cover for a catch off the first ball of the 41st and, with new batsmen finding the greying ball difficult to see, the collapse developed amid a mixture of skiers and run-outs.
India, relieved to be chasing 251, not 301, launched their reply with a flurry of fine shots from Saurav Ganguly and Saba Karim, his 30-year-old partner.
Karim had kept wicket tidily in his first game against England. It put the experience of the two teams into perspective that this relatively obscure cricketer was playing his 24th international, more than all but three of Hollioake's team.
They were the ones who showed the greater know-how, however. A bad lapse by Stewart, who, presumably unsighted, barely moved his gloves towards a straightforward outside edge by Karim off Dean Headley, became less important when Headley had him caught at extra cover in the 12th over.
Sachin Tendulkar found a worthy partner in Ajay Jadeja and they put on 108 in 20 overs. Fleming struck when Jadeja drove him to midwicket but, with Tendulkar driving hard and cutting deftly, a target of 69 from the last 10 overs was feasible.
The slow outfield, excellent ground-fielding and Fleming's level-headed competitiveness - getting its most joyous reward when Tendulkar advanced to drive inside out and was stumped combined to give England an important success.
They look forward to the West Indies tomorrow and Pakistan on Monday with increasing confidence.