Rampant England thrashed India inside three days in the fifth Test to complete a 3-1 series victory.The pitiful tourists were skittled out for 94 in only 29.2 overs as England won by an innings and 244 runs at The Oval.
After James Anderson and Stuart Broad broke through with the new ball, Chris Jordan took four of the last five wickets to kick-start the celebrations in the south London sunshine.
England had earlier plundered a broken India for 101 runs in 11.3 overs to post 486 in reply to India’s first-innings 148, with Joe Root making an unbeaten 149.
Their third successive victory capped an extraordinary turnaround since the hosts were beaten by 95 runs in the second Test at Lord’s to go 1-0 behind in the series.
That defeat took England’s winless streak to 10 matches, following a 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia and a first home series defeat by Sri Lanka.
Since then, England have won by 266 runs in Southampton and an innings and 54 runs in Manchester before taking their dominance to even higher levels at The Oval.
India’s total was their lowest at The Oval and the first time they have been bowled out for fewer than 100 since 2008.
“It was an amazing turnaround after Lord’s,” said England captain Alastair Cook. “India crumbled at the end but that was from the relentless pressure.”
Cook praised coach Peter Moores and assistant coach Paul Farbrace, adding: “We have needed a kick up the backside and they have been brave enough to do that.”
England’s brutal assault with the bat on Saturday evening and Sunday morning left India facing the improbable task of scoring 338 just to make the hosts bat again.
And they made a miserable start by losing both openers cheaply before rain forced an early lunch.
Murali Vijay was trapped lbw by Anderson for two and Gautam Gambhir was run out for three when he set off for a single, turned back and was beaten by a direct hit from Chris Woakes.
After a delay of an hour-and-a-half, normal service was resumed.
Anderson had Chesteshwar Pujara caught behind, Ajinkya Rahane was brilliantly caught by Gary Ballance at slip off Stuart Broad and captain Mahendra Dhoni glanced Woakes to short leg.
Jordan then took over with three wickets in two overs. Virat Kohli’s wretched series continued when he edged to Alastair Cook at first slip for 20 before Ravichandran Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also fell to outside edges.
Varun Aaron was run out attempting a second run and the match was ended when Ishant Sharma fended a short ball from Jordan into the air, enabling Moeen Ali to walk in from silly point and take a simple catch.
England had set the tone for another utterly one-sided day in a riotous first hour. Root completed his fifth Test hundred – and third of the summer – off 134 balls and Jordan made a breezy 20.
Broad, batting for the first time since having his nose broken by an Aaron bouncer, played with no fear as he cut and pulled short balls in a blistering 37 off 21 balls, including five fours and a six.
Broad and Anderson then set about dismantling India’s top order, with Anderson closing to within three wickets of Ian Botham’s England Test record of 383.