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London. England’s rise above India to the top of test cricket’s world rankings was as remarkable as it was comprehensive.

The predictions of a close, hard-fought four-match series that accompanied the arrival of India’s superstar cricketers last month proved woefully inaccurate as England dominated in all areas to wrap up a 4-0 win.

England scored 2,809 runs to India’s 2,044 in two fewer innings, took 80 wickets to India’s 47 and twice won by an innings to rout a team unbeaten in its previous 11 series.

Monday’s innings victory at the Oval was England’s seventh in 13 tests and completed a ninth unbeaten series.

“You’re getting really strong performances from all 11 players,” England captain Andrew Strauss said. “It’s been up there with the best series we’ve played as a group. We’ve had a lot of victories over the last couple of years and we expect to win matches now.”

In a little over two years since a dismal series defeat in the West Indies, England has won and retained the Ashes, taken top spot in the rankings and, with Monday’s victory, won as many test matches as it managed in the whole of the 1980s.

“England were determined to be No. 1 and through careful planning and a series of clinical performances, they have deservedly achieved their goal,” International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat said. “They were clearly the most consistent side in the world over the past few years as evidenced by their determination to complete their series victory here at the Oval.”

Despite the series already being won, coach Andy Flower stressed the importance of maintaining momentum.

Even with the loss of four sessions to rain, England reached 591-6 by tea on the third day of the fourth test and declared to set India a tricky target.

Rahul Dravid scored his third series hundred — three more than any of his teammates — and became only the third India batsman to carry his bat, but the tourists still had to follow-on despite a tour-high total of 300.

“England are deservedly the No. 1 in the world, they played well in the series, they outplayed us,” Dravid said. “We expected a tough series as we know they have played some great cricket over the past two and a half years. But we thought we would play a bit better.”

After Ian Bell starred with the bat with a sparkling 235, England’s bowlers took over. Despite long spells without success, they kept at it and spinner Graeme Swann took 6-106 after a frustrating summer dominated by the seam bowlers.

“This has been a real team effort and every one of the players, management and back up staff deserve great credit,” Strauss said. “Becoming No. 1 in the world was our stated ambition two-and-a-half years ago and even though we have achieved that objective, we will continue to look to build on this success.”

India, meanwhile, has problems to address before its tour of Australia starts in December.

The players looked exhausted after a long season in which they won the one-day World Cup as host, played Indian Premier League Twenty20 and then toured the Caribbean. They were sluggish and sloppy in the field, lacked penetration with the ball without the injured Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, and only Dravid performed with the bat.

Dravid became the first player ever to score three centuries for a team that lost every test in a series.

“It’s important we stay together as a unit because the expectation levels are quite high,” India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. “It’s about the team rising to the occasion together. That’s the way ahead.”

Associated Press