London, Aug 22: Off-spinner Graeme Swann joined the bowling festivities rather late in the series but ended with an impressive six-wicket haul in the second innings of the final Test to help England beat India by an innings and eight runs.

Swann, who picked three wickets in the first innings, said that the 4-0 win was special and credited the seamers for keeping the Indian batsmen at bay.

Excerpts from the interview:

On the notion that an earlier finish to the Indian innings was not meant to be

No, it wasn’t. Sachin [Tendulkar] batted as we know he can and was real [good] and [Amit] Mishra especially I thought batted superbly today. For a night-watchman to hang around that long and as well as he did to get his Test best score - you start to think maybe this day is not going to go your way. To get him [Mishra] and Sachin in the next over won us the game.

On the satisfaction of getting the tail-ender Mishra out

Normally the guys that bat down the order, you expect, are not going to be as proficient with the bat as the top [order] guys are. He batted as well today as anyone has for India, probably barring Rahul Dravid, throughout the series; so he was a very tough nut to crack. He is tough to bowl at and to get him out was very pleasing.

On being the No. 1 side in the world

It feels great. We started down [that road] a couple of years ago, we said, ‘We want to get to No. 1. How are we going to do it?’ We plotted our [path], as it were. It looked incredulous on paper; we didn’t think it was that possible. But to get the way we have, beating Australia twice, drawing with South Africa, beating India four-nil; we are delighted.

On picking his favourite between the Ashes and the current series win

It’s very tricky for an Englishman because we all grow up wanting to play in the Ashes. But this here has been special for us. We had a lot of things going our way, the conditions and just the way the way our seamers have bowled. We have not allowed any of the Indian superstars to get into any sort of form, which is why we have won this 4-0, really. We know we have been in a fortunate position with the weather and the pitches but it is up to us now. Now we are the No. 1 team, [we have] to prove in the sub-continent [that] we are [a] worthy No. 1.