Rohit Sharma scored a half century to set India on course for victory on day four of the fourth test, before England snared three wickets to keep their slightest hopes alive of achieving a dramatic turnaround.
India was 118-3 at lunch on Monday, needing 74 more runs for victory and an unassailable 3-1 series lead in the five-test series.
Sharma shared an 84-run opening stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal, before the latter was spectacularly caught by veteran James Anderson off Joe Root for 37 to give the tourists a much-needed breakthrough against the seemingly comfortable Indian opening pair.
Jaiswal's wicket sparked a mini-collapse as India went from 84-0 to 100-3 inside nine overs as England sniffed a chance of victory.
Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley had Sharma caught behind in the 26th over for 55. It was initially judged as a stumping, but on review, the television umpire also detected an edge from the batter while keeper Ben Foakes held on to a sharp catch.
Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir then had Rajat Patidar caught at short leg for a six-ball duck as India lost its second wicket in eight deliveries.
Shubman Gill (18 not out) and Ravindra Jadeja (3 not out) watchfully navigated the remaining overs before lunch, with a grandstand finish in the offing.
At the break, Gill was batting on 18 runs with Jadeja (3 not out), and England stayed in the hunt needing another seven wickets for an improbable win.
India has a 2-1 lead in the five-test series, after winning back-to-back tests in Visakhapatnam and Rajkot by 106 and 434 runs, respectively. England had won the first test in Hyderabad by 28 runs.