England complete series whitewash over India

England’s cricketers have completed a series whitewash over India despite a heroic last stand from Sachin Tendulkar.

Tendulkar came within just nine runs of a 100th international century before being dismissed lbw by Tim Bresnan.

He and nightwatchman Amit Mishra batted through the morning session after India had resumed on 129 for three with three top-order batsmen already out.

The pair added 144 but Tendulkar’s dismissal heralded a woeful batting collapse from India, with seven wickets falling for just 21 runs.

Broad, who was named England’s man of the series after taking 25 wickets and scoring 182 runs, had troubled Tendulkar outside the off-stump but Andrew Strauss’s decision to bowl Ravi Bopara relieved the pressure.

Tendulkar stroked two boundaries through the off side and had reached 70 when Alastair Cook failed to gather an inside edge on to the pad off Swann which rebounded off the short-leg’s chest.

Swann was denied Tendulkar’s wicket again when Matt Prior failed to hold on to a thick edge when the batsman was on 85 after the interval.

Tendulkar pulled and swept Kevin Pietersen for four to move into the 90s and a century seemed inevitable when he lost Mishra, bowled pushing down the wrong line to Swann.

The first ball of a new spell by Tim Bresnan trapped the “Little Master” and India’s innings swiftly imploded.

Suresh Raina completed a pair when he was lbw to Swann, and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was smartly held at second slip by Swann off Broad for three.

Broad and Swann then brushed aside the tail.

England captain Andrew Strauss said: “When you enforce the follow-on, you’re always asking a lot of the bowlers, especially on a flat wicket.

“They’re pretty tired after a long series but thankfully they made one last push to get over the line.

“Sachin was playing very well, Mishra played exceptionally well, we were struggling for ideas there for a little while but we knew with one wicket it could change.”

He added: “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.”