James Rew fell just short of a hundred in the Under 19 World Cup final when Kaushal Tambe took a diving one-handed catch to dismiss him for 95.
Rew played a brilliant innings for England, leading a rebuild after India made several early breakthroughs.
Jacob Bethell and Tom Prest, England's two leading run scorers in the tournament heading into the final, both fell cheaply in the powerplay.
George Thomas failed to capitalise on a decent start, getting caught at cover for 27, and both Will Luxton and George Bell fell to Raj Bawa in the same over to leave England faltering on 47-5.
However, Rew battled hard and made an excellent 95 from just 116 balls, sharing a key eighth-wicket partnership with James Sales.
The pair added 93 runs and helped propel England to a total of 189, a remarkable effort given their top-order struggles, and it took an excellent catch from Tambe to end Rew's fightback.
In the 43rd over, Rew pulled Ravi Kumar out towards Tambe on the deep square leg boundary for what should have been a simple take.
However, Tambe failed to catch the ball cleanly, juggling it twice before flinging himself forward to catch the ball one-handed on the rebound.
"What a recovery to finally take that catch by Kaushal Tambe," commentator Natalie Germanos said. "Heartbreak and despair for Rew as he falls five short."
"What a catch," added fellow commentator and West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite. "Made it harder than it should be but in the end that last gasp grab."
Speaking after England were bowled out, Rew said: "Obviously it was a shame not to get a hundred, but I am glad we have posted a total on the board.
"It's going to be tough to win from here but we have given ourselves a chance. I tried to bat as long as possible and take it deep. Myself and James Sales looked to rotate the strike.
"Our bowling has been good all tournament and now we have to maximise dot balls, put India under pressure by catching and fielding well."
