Historic series win for India in Eng

India win the three-match series 1-0 after the final Test at The Oval is drawn, reports Rohit Mahajan. See pics

On Monday, India completed what had been expected for the last three days — a series win in England after 21 long years.

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The only jarring point perhaps would be that the scoreline read 1-0 instead of 2-0. On the other hand, there would be an equal number of Englishmen who would hold that the series could have been 1-1, but for India getting lucky at Lord’s, when rain rescued India from certain defeat. The 1986 victory though, was more emphatic and more historic, being India’s second series win in England with a scoreline that read 2-0.

It could have been 2-0 here too, had the burden of history not been weighing on Rahul Dravid’s mind. Series wins abroad have been so rare that Dravid probably wanted to ensure a draw before thinking of a victory here, so that his 1-0 lead was protected on every front.

But this win is momentous, both in the context of India’s World Cup debacle and Chappell’s controversial reign. It must be extra special for men like Zaheer Khan, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. All three have played pivotal roles in ensuring a series win in England.