Alastair Cook played a captain's innings and anchored a stiff run-chase with a well-paced knock of 80 not out to extend India's losing streak as the hosts won the rain-curtailed second ODI by seven wickets at The Rose Bowl on Tuesday.
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The match was reduced to a 23-over game after rain held up play for close to five hours. Put in to bat, India reached a more than competitive 187/8 riding on AjinkyaRahane's maiden ODI fifty and a quickfire 40 by Suresh Raina.
But the good work by batsmen was undone by India's insipid bowling that wilted under the pressure exerted by the blistering pace set by openers Cook and Craig Keiswetter.
England raced to fifty in just the fifth over of their run-chase, largely due to Kieswetter who took full toll of the revised mandatory powerplay of first five overs. England hammered India for 56 runs in that period.
But Vinay Kumar brought India some respite by dismissing Kieswetter, though not before he damaged India's plans with a knock of 46 off just 25 balls, punctuated with four boundaries and three towering sixes.
Ian Bell took a cue from Kieswetter and went about his strokes uninhibited, bringing up his team's hundred in just the 10th over of the innings.
But off-spinner RavichandranAshwin struck to remove Bell (25 off 16) as England lost a wicket against the run of play.
Ravi Bopara (24 off 20) and Cook then stitched a brisk 60-run partnership to put India out of the match. By the time Ashwin dismissed Bopara, England were well and truly in control. Cook and Samit Patel then completed the last rites to reach the target with five balls to spare.
None of the Indian bowlers could trouble England, with Ashwin (2/42) and Vinay (1/33) being the only wicket-takers.
In the morning, Parthiv Patel took off after India were put in to bat and made his intentions clear when he hit Tim Bresnan for two sixes in a 16-run over.
But a disciplined James Anderson got his man caught behind as a confused Parthiv (28 off 18) walked back deciding not to question the nick.
India's fifty then came up in 6.5 overs, courtesy AjinkyaRahane, who hit Stuart Broad for a six, and RahulDravid.
Cook introduced spin in the 11th over with India 71/1. Graeme Swann was brought into the attack but both Dravid and Rahane looked to dominate the offie right away.
The Rahane-Dravid duo then looked to take the game away from England with an array of aerial shots. The partnership went past 50 but could reach only 79 when Dravid (32 off 32 balls) was caught by Anderson for Swann's first wicket of the evening.
An uninhibited Rahane followed Dravid's dismissal with his maiden ODI fifty off just 40 balls. However, ViratKohli (9) couldn't stay for long with Rahane as he holed out in the deep to become Swann's second victim.
And Swann confirmed England's comeback when he completed a neat return catch to dismiss half-centurion Rahane, who scored 54 off 47 balls, including five fours and one six.
It was a Suresh Raina show thereafter who took Dernbach apart with 16 runs, including two fours and a six, in the 20th over bowled by him. But Bresnan returned to send MS Dhoni (6) back and get England their fifth wicket.
Raina finally fell to Bresnan, but not before he had punished England with 40 runs of 19 balls, including three sixes and three fours, which propelled India to 187/8.
Other than Swann's 3/33, Bresnan was the main contributor to the wickets tally with a spell of 3/43.
