adminout as the tourists — who lost in Ahmedabad before winning in Mumbai and Kolkata — earned the draw they needed to secure an historic achievement.
India took just one wicket all day as debutant Joe Root added an unbeaten 20. England finished 356 runs ahead on 352-4 when stumps were drawn early.
Their final-day dominance was fitting because, since being beaten by nine wickets in the first Test, England have outplayed their hosts in every department.
While recent Ashes victories will rank as some of England’s finest displays in recent years, former captain Michael Vaughan put the accomplishment into context by describing winning a Test series in India as the hardest thing to do in cricket.
It is only the fourth time in history England have won there, and it is the first time since David Gower’s tourists were triumphant in 1984-85.
England also inflicted India’s first series loss on home soil since the legendary Australia team of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting won in 2004 — a series which became billed as “The Last Step To Greatness”.
Cook’s team may not be “great” yet, but they certainly gave players like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Mahendra Dhoni plenty to think about with their dominant performances. Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar outbowled India’s spinners, James Anderson underlined his status as one of the best seamers in the world, while — led by the insatiable run-scoring feats of captain Cook — all of England’s batsmen scored runs.
Trott and Bell were the two players most in need of a good score on the final day of the match — and both delivered emphatically.
The Warwickshire pair posted their highest Test scores of the year, with a century particularly welcome for Bell who averaged just 18 in India before he came to the crease when England were stuttering slightly at 94-3 on the fourth day. — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter