England completed a 4-0 whitewash of India to confirm themselves as the number one Test nation in world cricket this week.
The four-match Test series which ended on Monday with England claiming a victory by an innings and eight wickets at The Oval.
England bowler Stuart Broad was named the Player of the Series after claiming 25 wickets in the series, while India’s Rahul Dravid also received the awards after making three centuries and scoring 461 runs all up.
Dravid was India’s only shining light in a poor series, where England dominated.
So how did Andrew Strauss’ side do it?
England’s bowling had India’s famous batting attack under control, bar Dravid. And the star was Broad, but he wasn’t alone in his dominance over India, with Jimmy Anderson also chipping in with 21 wickets, while Tim Bresnan (16 wickets) and Graeme Swann (13 wickets) made crucial contributions.
India’s batting attack had few answers, with few offering any resistance except for Dravid. Sachin Tendulkar failed to make one century, making 273 runs at an average of 34.12.
VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir all struggled, averaging less than 25 for the series.
India may say some things went wrong and they did, but this was a whitewash.
To emphasise the point, England’s batsmen also were completely on top as well, with two Tests requiring them to only bat once. In fact, in the last two Tests they only lost 13 wickets.
India’s bowling attack simply posed no problems for England, who gradually asserted their quality.
Kevin Pietersen’s return of 533 runs at an average of over 100 was spectacular, but indicative of England’s dominance. Pietersen plays best when he’s full of confidence and he never wavered in this series as there was nothing to worry him.
Ian Bell also scored more than 500 runs with two centuries, while Alistair Cook also added 348 runs. Contributions from Matt Prior and Eoin Morgan showed England’s depth.
Despite the domination and becoming number one, Strauss said after the fourth Test he wanted more.
“The greatest pitfall is that feeling that you’ve done it all, therefore you’re not willing to put in the hard work,” said Strauss.
“I’d be very disappointed if we fell into that trap, It’s not what we’re about as a unit. If there are any signs of it it’s important to nip it in the bud.”
India captain Mahendra Dhoni admitted England were far superior.
“At times you can be outplayed at the top level and that was, more often than not, the case in this series,” he said.
Dhoni admitted his side’s lack of runs and inability to bowl England was a huge problem. He said: “They always put a good score on the board and we weren’t able to make over 300 in any of the four matches.
“But it’s important we stay together as a unit because the expectation levels are quite high. It’s about the team rising to the occasion together. That’s the way ahead. We are not willing to surrender and we hope the coming years will be good.”