How well did the Indians do against England, individually? Dileep Premachandran assesses their efforts and gives them marks out of 10

9 Sachin Tendulkar
Once again, he was a class apart. The 88 at Mohali wasn't the prettiest of efforts but it set the tone nicely for the rest of the series. Hussain and his men tried just about everything to contain him. They didn't succeed, as 307 runs at 77 confirmed. And he even nipped in with a wicket with those dibbly allsorts. Showed us once again why Indian cricket is all about one Sachin Tendulkar and ten others.

8 Anil Kumble
Back to his penetrative best in the home conditions he revels in. A matchwinner in the second innings at Mohali, he also bowled beautifully in the first at Ahmedabad. Froze when in sight of that 300th wicket in front of his home crowd but we can forgive him the odd blip. His 19 wickets in only five innings say much about his continuing value to the side on Indian soil.

7 Harbhajan Singh
Performed well in patches but failed to be the consistent threat that he was against the Aussies. He enjoys himself much more when the batsmen take him on and England's dour approach at times blunted his edge. At 21 he is still very much a work in progress, and it remains to be seen whether he and Sarandeep will play in tandem more often.

7 Javagal Srinath
Six wickets at 36 tell you precious little about how well he bowled in the two outings after his return from a hand injury. He was a constant threat with his pace and movement and was far less generous with the short balls and half-volleys than usual. If India had fielded even half-decently, he could have walked away with a sizeable haul of wickets.

7 Sarandeep Singh
A happy return to the fold for India's other offspin whizzkid. He was easily the pick of the spinners at Bangalore, even if both Kumble and Harbhajan were well below par. His teasing flight is his greatest ally and provided he doesn't forget that, he can last the distance. It will be interesting to see how often he and Harbhajan bowl in tandem. Shades of Prasanna and Venkat?

6 Sanjay Bangar
Played a good hand with the bat at Mohali but injury put paid to his chances of an extended run in the team. Underbowled by Ganguly, he will feel hard done by if he doesn't get another look-in at some stage in the coming Indian season.

6 Deep Dasgupta
After Tendulkar, he has become India's most reliable batsman and that doesn't paint some of the seniors in a good light. Has been a revelation at the top of the order, where his grit and unending patience stand him in good stead against the new ball. Soon, though, he may be playing as a specialist opener. There is but one word to describe his glovework – shocking. Missed a string of chances behind the stumps, prompting even the mild-mannered Srinath to lose his cool. Was slightly better in the final Test but he needs to do more, much more. Should spend his Christmas holidays with Rod Marsh or Alan Knott.

6 VVS Laxman
A lemon meringue: easy on the eye and the stomach but nothing of substance. All the flair in the world counts for little unless he can string together some more big innings. To be fair, he did play a crucial knock at Ahmedabad, saving India (with Tendulkar's help) from the ignominy of following-on. And he was the best performer in a slip cordon that hardly distinguished itself.

6 Virender Sehwag
Apart from Tendulkar, there are few men who strike a cricket ball as cleanly. He bats like his strokes are about to go out of style. Needs to temper that aggression and to be less flirtatious with deliveries outside off stump. Eagerness to belt the leather off every ball may pay off in India but could land him in trouble in conditions that help the seamers. His bowling was under-employed so it's too early to say whether he can chip in as a bits-and-pieces allrounder.

6 Tinu Yohannan
India's latest pace-bowling find led the line admirably at Mohali but was disappointing in the heat and dust - and singularly unhelpful conditions - of Ahmedabad. He bowls at a lively medium-pace and has the ability to angle the ball away from the left-hander. Definitely one for the future if properly groomed. His career prospects depend on the whims and fancies of our selectors. Remember Debasish Mohanty, Thiru Kumaran and Dodda Ganesh?

5 Iqbal Siddiqui
Acquitted himself fairly well in his lone appearance as a stand-in new-ball bowler without giving any evidence of a talent that can sideline the likes of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra permanently. Lacks the extra yard of pace that can make all the difference at international level.

5 Shiv Sunder Das
Batted reasonably well at Ahmedabad but once again showcased a worrying tendency not to convert good starts into substantial scores. Didn't have a good time in the field as he was singled out for some meaty blows by the English batsmen. The jury is still out on Das, who needs to put together a three-figure knock or two before we're convinced that he has crossed the chasm between potential and achievement. 5 Rahul Dravid
Took his Wall nickname rather too seriously, batting over ten hours for his 122 runs. He has to realise that occupation of the crease is of little use to the side if it doesn't go hand-in-hand with run-scoring. At any other venue than Bangalore, his 61-ball 3 would have been greeted with rotten fruit and vegetables. Has all the strokes. If only he would play them ...

3 Sourav Ganguly
When it rains, it comes down in a torrent. And Ganguly has been out in the storm for a while now. The fast bowlers like nothing better than to get up his nose, and sadly for India, they're succeeding. His batting has been woeful for a while and there were signs in this series that it's having a knock-on effect on his captaincy. At times, he might have had John Lennon's lines "This is not here" tattooed across his chest. Needs to find inspiration from somewhere and soon, otherwise he could lose both the top job and a place in the side.

Man of the series: Sachin Tendulkar
No arguments about this one. Hussain tried the 8-1 off-side field and the slow version of leg theory as well as the fast one, but the genius still conjured up three scores of 80-plus. His effortless acceleration to a hundred on the third afternoon at Ahmedabad was the crowning glory of a Test series high on attrition but low on inspiration. Those English people who defended Hussain's negative tactics spoke of him with the kind of awe that suggests they rate him second only to the Don. And the way he's batted in the recent past, they aren't far wrong. The three fours he flicked to say "take that" as Hoggard bowled to a packed off-side field at the Motera won't be forgotten in a hurry. The only blot on his otherwise impeccable copybook was the altercation with Hussain at Bangalore. Worryingly for India, he was the only one of the dream middle-order quartet to emerge with his reputation enhanced.

Dileep Premachandran is assistant editor of Wisden.com, India.

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