England missed their chance to wrap up the NatWest Series after depleted resources and a series of missed chances enabled India to claim a comprehensive victory at Headingley.
Needing to win to claim an unassailable 4-1 lead in the seven-match series, England appeared to have the momentum after successive wins at Edgbaston and Old Trafford.
But the loss of key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who was ruled out with a recurrence of problems in his left ankle, and Ravi Bopara's influence being reduced with a dislocated right thumb contributed to their downfall as India bounced back with a 38-run triumph under the Duckworth Lewis method.
Deciding to bowl first in seamer-friendly conditions, England opted to break up their successful new ball partnership and allow Jon Lewis - Flintoff's replacement - to open the bowling with James Anderson.
It was an experiment which backfired with Lewis conceding 63 runs in his 10 overs and Stuart Broad, demoted to first change despite his man-of-the-match display at Old Trafford, was hammered for 84 runs in his 10 overs - the second most expensive analysis by an England bowler in a one-day international.
With England also dropping five catches, it allowed India to pile up an impressive total of 321 for six despite an interruption with three overs remaining for rain.
Their total mirrored England's score of 321 for seven against Sri Lanka at the same ground a year ago when the tourists cruised to an eight-wicket triumph with 12.3 overs remaining.
Restricted for the first five overs of the innings, when they scored only seven runs, Sachin Tendulkar signalled the start of India's run spree in the next over by hitting four boundaries off five balls from Lewis.
Tendulkar went on to hit a magical 71 off 59 balls, an innings which included 13 boundaries, but was helped by a reprieve on 33 when he was missed by wicketkeeper Matt Prior standing up to the stumps facing captain Paul Collingwood.
India were able to double their score before England finally made the breakthrough with Tendulkar edging behind off Lewis, but that earlier costly miss was by no means their only error of the day.
Having set high standards for their displays in the field, England struggled in murky conditions with Gautam Gambhir missed on 19 by Kevin Pietersen at extra cover - shortly before man of the match Sourav Ganguly holed out in the deep for 59 - and on 40, while Mahendra Dhoni was dropped by Prior before he had scored.
Perhaps the key innings, though, was Yuvraj Singh's superb 72 off 57 balls, which included 10 fours and two sixes and built brilliantly on the powerful opening stand to guide India to a powerful position.
Even a 30-minute hold-up for rain with three overs remaining failed to halt their momentum with India adding 38 on their return, including 19 off Broad's penultimate over.
England suffered an early setback to their reply with Alastair Cook edging Ajit Agarkar behind in the fourth over, although that was swiftly overcome with a defiant 90-run stand between Prior and Ian Bell.
They were well ahead of the required rate as the rain clouds closed in, but the loss of three wickets for seven runs in 13 balls changed the equation completely and put India firmly on course for victory.
Prior, desperate to claim his first half-century of the series, lost his composure after reaching 46 off 45 balls and advanced down the wicket to Ganguly and was expertly stumped by Dhoni.
That was one of six dismissals for Dhoni, who also contributed a belligerent 24 off 17 balls at the end of their innings, to become only the fifth person ever to achieve the feat in one-day international history.
Pietersen, without a half-century in his last seven one-day internationals, fared little better and departed for a duck in the next over after edging Zaheer Khan behind and Ganguly struck again in the next over by tempting Bell into a similar dismissal after a determined 44.
Inevitably, the rain came down almost immediately and forced the players off the field after 16.3 overs with England on 105 for four needing to have been on 155 to be level on the Duckworth Lewis method.
By the time they returned, England had a revised target of 311 off 45 overs but lost wickets consistently to leave them clinging on by the time rain finally halted play after they had reached 242 for eight after 39 overs.
Off-spinner Ramesh Powar increased the pressure on England with by dismissing Owais Shah and Bopara, who batted on with his fractured thumb for 16 balls, in quick succession.
Captain Collingwood attempted to retrieve the situation by hitting Tendulkar for four sixes over mid-wicket during his unbeaten 91 off 71 balls.
But when the rain fell again India's victory was completed to leave England assessing a mounting injury list as they attempt to claim the victory in the final two matches which would seal their series win.
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