India vs England: Michael Vaughan says hosts' win in fourth Test is 'incredible' for team's future
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India v England: Rohit Sharma praises his young side after Test series win
India's series win over England is "incredible" for the future of their Test team, says former England captain Michael Vaughan.
The hosts took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series with a gripping five-wicket victory in Ranchi.
The result is particularly impressive given India's considerably depleted squad.
"They've got five world-class players missing," Vaughan told the Test Match Special podcast.
"They also lost a very important toss [in Ranchi], and they faced a first-innings deficit. It's an incredible win for now, but also for the future of this team."
Star batter Virat Kohli has missed the series for personal reasons and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant is continuing his recovery from a car accident.
Experienced middle-order batter KL Rahul is struggling with a quad injury, seamer Mohammed Shami is injured and India's leading wicket-taker in the series Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the fourth Test.
But the team's young, inexperienced talent led them to a series victory in Ranchi, with 24-year-old Shubman Gill, who is viewed by many Indian fans as Kohli's heir, steering them to their target of 192 with an impressively composed half-century.
He shared a crucial sixth-wicket stand of 72 with player of the match Dhruv Jurel, who backed up his crucial first-innings 90 with 39 not out. The partnership steered India out of trouble after losing five wickets for 36 runs either side of lunch.
"England wanted Jurel and Gill to play aggressively after lunch, because that would give them a chance to take wickets," Vaughan added. "But they played sensibly, and just knocked it around.
"Shubman Gill was Mr Calm, he played with so much clarity and control."
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, 22, has also played an influential role in the series with an astonishing 655 runs at an average of 93.57, with the combination of youth and experience alongside the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin making India a formidable unit.
Rohit proud of 'hard-fought' series win
India captain Rohit Sharma played a key role in the chase with 55 at the top of the order
India captain Rohit added a significant half-century of his own in India's chase, before he was caught behind off spinner Tom Hartley, who took his series tally to 20 wickets.
Rohit's approach often contradicts that of the ultra-aggressive Ben Stokes, sometimes settling for more defensive fields, and he hides very little with his body language and facial expressions.
It has served Rohit well in the past three Tests, but he accepted England have given him and his team plenty to think about throughout.
"It has been a very hard-fought series," Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
"To come out on the right side after four Tests feels really good. I am really proud. A lot of challenges have been thrown at us but we responded pretty well."
The final match of the series is in Dharamsala from Thursday, 7 March.