diff --git a/httpie/cli/nested_json.py b/httpie/cli/nested_json.py
index 807076c0..615f0427 100644
--- a/httpie/cli/nested_json.py
+++ b/httpie/cli/nested_json.py
@@ -61,7 +61,19 @@ class Token(NamedTuple):
 
 
 def assert_cant_happen() -> NoReturn:
-    raise ValueError("Unexpected value")
+    raise ValueError('Unexpected value')
+
+
+def check_escaped_int(value: str) -> str:
+    if not value.startswith('\\'):
+        raise ValueError('Not an escaped int')
+
+    try:
+        int(value[1:])
+    except ValueError as exc:
+        raise ValueError('Not an escaped int') from exc
+    else:
+        return value[1:]
 
 
 def tokenize(source: str) -> Iterator[Token]:
@@ -75,12 +87,18 @@ def tokenize(source: str) -> Iterator[Token]:
             return None
 
         value = ''.join(buffer)
-        try:
-            value = int(value)
-        except ValueError:
-            kind = TokenKind.TEXT
+        for variation, kind in [
+            (int, TokenKind.NUMBER),
+            (check_escaped_int, TokenKind.TEXT),
+        ]:
+            try:
+                value = variation(value)
+            except ValueError:
+                continue
+            else:
+                break
         else:
-            kind = TokenKind.NUMBER
+            kind = TokenKind.TEXT
 
         yield Token(
             kind, value, start=cursor - (len(buffer) + backslashes), end=cursor
diff --git a/tests/test_json.py b/tests/test_json.py
index 287b2f41..ae748340 100644
--- a/tests/test_json.py
+++ b/tests/test_json.py
@@ -376,6 +376,28 @@ def test_complex_json_arguments_with_non_json(httpbin, request_type, value):
                 'people': {'known_ids': [None, 1000, None, None, None, 5000]},
             },
         ),
+        (
+            [
+                r'foo[\1][type]=migration',
+                r'foo[\2][type]=migration',
+                r'foo[\dates]:=[2012, 2013]',
+                r'foo[\dates][0]:=2014',
+                r'foo[\2012 bleh]:=2013',
+                r'foo[bleh \2012]:=2014',
+                r'\2012[x]:=2',
+                r'\2012[\[3\]]:=4',
+            ],
+            {
+                'foo': {
+                    '1': {'type': 'migration'},
+                    '2': {'type': 'migration'},
+                    '\\dates': [2014, 2013],
+                    '\\2012 bleh': 2013,
+                    'bleh \\2012': 2014,
+                },
+                '2012': {'x': 2, '[3]': 4},
+            },
+        ),
     ],
 )
 def test_nested_json_syntax(input_json, expected_json, httpbin):
@@ -465,6 +487,14 @@ def test_nested_json_syntax(input_json, expected_json, httpbin):
             ['foo[-10]:=[1,2]'],
             'HTTPie Value Error: Negative indexes are not supported.\nfoo[-10]\n    ^^^',
         ),
+        (
+            ['foo[0]:=1', 'foo[]:=2', 'foo[\\2]:=3'],
+            "HTTPie Type Error: Can't perform 'key' based access on 'foo' which has a type of 'array' but this operation requires a type of 'object'.\nfoo[\\2]\n   ^^^^",
+        ),
+        (
+            ['foo[\\1]:=2', 'foo[5]:=3'],
+            "HTTPie Type Error: Can't perform 'index' based access on 'foo' which has a type of 'object' but this operation requires a type of 'array'.\nfoo[5]\n   ^^^",
+        ),
     ],
 )
 def test_nested_json_errors(input_json, expected_error, httpbin):