England counted the cost of their previous batting collapses as India withstood a fierce barrage of short-pitched bowling to complete a seven-wicket victory in the second npower Test.
Needing just 63 more runs to complete their emphatic triumph on the final morning at Trent Bridge, India achieved their target 25 minutes before lunch.
Hampshire fast bowler Chris Tremlett ensured it was not serene progress with three wickets in 27 balls but even he could not prevent the inevitable.
It left England wondering what might have been had they not lost seven for 68 the previous day to leave the tourists a modest target of 73.
Captain Michael Vaughan - remembering England's own battle to chase 128 for victory (they lost seven wickets) in the Ashes Test at Trent Bridge two years ago - admitted that if they had managed to eke out a few more runs it might have been more of a contest.
"We just didn't apply ourselves as well as we could have done with the bat," conceded Vaughan.
"We were probably 60 or 70 runs light in the first innings and about 60 or 70 runs light in the second innings.
"There was a stage yesterday when we got to about 280 for three and I thought we had a chance of maybe posting a target of 150 or 180 and we know from two years ago against Australia can sometimes be tricky - we didn't do that because we didn't apply ourselves as well as we could.
"I knew how hard it was chasing 120-odd two years ago and that's why I tried to get the guys to play positively because it was always going to be difficult to bat for two days.
"I felt we needed a lead and when myself and Colly (Paul Collingwood) were at the crease, if we'd have survived eight to 10 overs during that period we'd have given India a real challenge on the last day."
The majority of the Test was played in a highly-charged atmosphere prompted by England's decision to wind up Zaheer Khan on the third evening by placing jelly beans on the wicket.
Out of that incident tempers flared, with seamer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth fined half his match fee for barging Vaughan, while he also ran through the crease to bowl a no-ball and delivered a beamer at Kevin Pietersen.
But for the majority of the final day it seemed the bad-tempered match would end quietly with openers Dinesh Karthik and Wasim Jaffer adding another 37 runs without any great alarm.
Vaughan then turned to Hampshire seamer Tremlett, however, who struck in his second over to make the breakthrough when Jaffer tried an ambitious pull at a ball wide of off-stump and the ball looped high to Pietersen at gully.
Two overs later Tremlett also removed the impressive Karthik with a brute of a delivery which lifted sharply and grazed his glove on the way to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.
That united captain Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, the two cornerstones of India's multi-talented middle order, and the expectation was for them to administer the last rites to the contest.
Tremlett, though, was able to conjure up another breakthrough before the close with Tendulkar fending off another short delivery straight to Alastair Cook at short leg.
It took India just two more overs to complete their triumph - only their fifth on English soil - when a mis-directed Tremlett yorker flew for four byes and set up the prospect of a final Test thriller starting at the Oval on August 9 when England will defend an unbeaten record in home Test series stretching back six years.
For a team often criticised for their inability to succeed away from familiar conditions, it was a special victory for India and celebrated for some hours afterwards in their Trent Bridge dressing room.
It also followed only six days after they clung on for a draw in the opening Test at Lord's when bad light and rain saved them when nine wickets down and facing almost certain defeat.
"We've not won many games here in England - or abroad - so when we win it is something to cherish," said Dravid.
"The boys really played well throughout the five days, played some good, tough cricket, and truly deserved to finish on the winning side. Bouncing back after Lord's was a credit to the whole team.
"But we've got to back up good performances with others. We will celebrate but keep minds focused on the Oval and try to win the series."
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