Hussain thrilled at England's Mumbai victory

Celebrations for England Photo Reuters

Nasser Hussain was full of praise for his team after England's victory in the final one-day match against India at Mumbai that squared the series three-all.

England lost the Test series 1-0 before Christmas, but improved in the second and third games. They also fought back after going 3-1 down in the one-day series.

"They have a lot of confidence now," Hussain enthused. "If they can play like this in India they can do it anywhere in the world.

"We have really enjoyed ourselves. We messed it up earlier and should have got 300. Harbhajan bowled brilliantly, but we did not play him particularly well. I said it was down to us to put it right, and we did."

The Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly admitted his disappointment. "I hope the boys learn from it, and we will improve," he said. "I thought Harbhajan bowled a magnificent spell, but we should have won this game."

Sachin Tendulkar was made man of the series for his consistent contributions with the bat. "We have to pull up our socks and learn to chase in a better way," he said.

England's chairman of selectors David Graveney was thrilled with the team's achievement. "We only lost one of the games easily and we had a crazy hour or so in the first Test - but apart from that, a side that was written off in many quarters has done itself proud," said Graveney.

"I'm pleased for the younger guys. Our one-day experience is minimal compared to other countries around the world, and if we're going to have decent crack at the World Cup we need to get the younger guys in position. They'll have learnt a lot. It's a fantastic achievement."

Graveney singled out Hussain for special praise. "He has shown the intensity and passion to win - and suddenly a side that was ridiculed in terms of fielding stands up with the best," Graveney said.