Ravi Bopara made 96 as England chased India's 280-5 but when he was the eighth man out with England on 270 and rain bought the teams off they were tied on the Duckworth Lewis method. England hold an unassailable 2-0 lead with just one game remaining.
Bopara was attempting to reach his first one-day international hundred with a big shot but was caught on the deep midwicket boundary. Ironically if he had just knocked the ball for a single England would have won on the DL method by a single run.
India looked all over the winners when England were 173-5 but Bopara's innings and good supporting roles from Graeme Swann, who made 31 and Tim Bresnan with 27, eased England up to their target. However the first time the teams went off for rain India were ahead on the DL method and eager to get off the pitch.
They were less eager to get back on for another over and by the time that had been bowled England were ahead before they went off one more time with the teams tied on DL.
Earlier Ian Bell had made 54 but when he and Ben Stokes were out in quick succession England needed a cool head and to steady the ship and Bopara provided it before going for one big shot too many.
India's innings had been dominated by a fifth wicket stand of 169 between Suresh Raina and captain MS Dhoni. Raina hit 84 while Dhoni ended unbeaten on 78 in a partnership that was the highest for the fifth wicket for India in one-day internationals against England.
Dhoni faced 71 balls, hitting six fours and three sixes, whilst Raina, who accelerated late in his innings faced 75 balls and hit seven fours and two sixes. But it looked like it would be a different story when India were 110-4 in 26th over.
Swann had just dismissed Virat Kholi and Rahul Dravid in his first over and one more wicket would have exposed the Indian tail. But Raina and Dhoni got their side to a score well above the average first innings one-day total here with aggressive batting which delighted the hordes of Indian supporters at the ground.
They helped their side to add 109 off the last ten overs with both batsmen hitting the English bowlers high into stands as India finally enjoyed themselves after a dismal summer in England.
In a bad session for England Stuart Broad went off without completing the final over holding his arm and Steve Finn was called on to bowl the rest of the over.
Earlier, Broad had dismissed both openers Parthiv Patel for 27 and Ajinkya Rahane for 38 but Finn, playing his first match of the series, went wicketless despite bowling well. He eventually snared Raina when he was asked to replace Broad when the batsman was superbly caught by Stokes in the deep.
