The predictions of a close, hard-fought four-match series that accompanied the arrival of India's superstar cricketers last month proved woefully inaccurate as England dominated in all areas to wrap up a 4-0 win.
England scored 2809 runs to India's 2044 in two fewer innings, took 80 wickets to India's 47 and twice won by an innings to rout a team unbeaten in its previous 11 series.
Monday's innings victory at The Oval was England's seventh in 13 tests and completed a ninth unbeaten series.
"You're getting really strong performances from all 11 players," England captain Andrew Strauss said.
"It's been up there with the best series we've played as a group.
"We've had a lot of victories over the last couple of years and we expect to win matches now."
And that's what England has got very, very good at.
In a little over two years since a dismal series defeat in the West Indies, England has won and retained the Ashes, taken top spot in the rankings and, with Monday's victory, won as many test matches as it managed in the whole of the 1980s.
"England were determined to be No 1 and through careful planning and a series of clinical performances, they have deservedly achieved their goal," International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat said.
"They were clearly the most consistent side in the world over the past few years as evidenced by their determination to complete their series victory here at The Oval."
Dead rubber matches are notoriously difficult to get motivated for once a team has wrapped up victory, but coach Andy Flower stressed the importance of maintaining momentum.
Despite the loss of four whole sessions to rain, England reached 591-6 by tea on the third day of the fourth test and declared to set India a tricky target.
Rahul Dravid scored his third series hundred - three more than any of his teammates - and became only the third India batsman to carry his bat, but the tourists still had to follow-on despite a tour-high total of 300.
"England are deservedly the No 1 in the world, they played well in the series, they outplayed us," Dravid said. "We expected a tough series as we know they have played some great cricket over the past two and a-half years.
"But we thought we would play a bit better."
After Ian Bell starred with the bat with a sparkling 235, England's bowlers took over. Despite long spells without success, they kept at it and spinner Graeme Swann took 6-106 after a frustrating summer dominated by the seam bowlers.
"This has been a real team effort and everyone of the players, management and back up staff deserve great credit," Strauss said. "Becoming No 1 in the world was our stated ambition two and a-half years ago and even though we have achieved that objective we will continue to look to build on this success."
England set the tone for the series on day one of the first test at Lord's, showing India that capitulation was never on the cards.
England lost the toss and slipped to 62-2 with both openers back in the pavilion but Kevin Pietersen hit 202 not out to rally his teammates. England was then 124-8 in the first innings of the second test at Trent Bridge but recovered to a respectable 221. A first-innings deficit was swiftly overturned with 544 in the second before Tim Bresnan took a test-best 5-48.
Edgbaston was the most one-sided match of the series, with James Anderson's eight wickets and Alastair Cook's 294 setting up a victory by an innings and 242 runs.
England's domination was such that all-rounder Stuart Broad only batted in half the matches.
"I've not batted for two test matches, it's been a pleasure," Broad said. "I've read a few books and put my feet up."
England's named man-of-the-series with a haul of 25 wickets and 182 runs, Broad survived calls from commentators for him to be dropped after a disappointing series against Sri Lanka to form a crucial new-ball partnership with Anderson.
Anderson's mastery of both in and out swing brought him 21 wickets, while he continually offered tips and suggestions to his fellow bowlers.
And Bresnan denied Sachin Tendulkar his 100th international hundred on the final day at The Oval, trapping the India great lbw for 91 to finish with 16 series wickets.
England's consistency has been such that 2011 will be the first year since 1953 that it has not had to give a player a test debut. The teams now play a one-day series during which Tendulkar may yet get his 100th hundred, but England does not play test cricket again until next year.
India, meanwhile, has problems to address before its tour of Australia starts in December.
The players looked exhausted after a long season in which they won the one-day World Cup as host, played Indian Premier League Twenty20 and then toured the Caribbean. They were sluggish and sloppy in the field, lacked penetration with the ball without the injured Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, and only Dravid performed with the bat.
Dravid became the first player ever to score three centuries for a team that lost every test in a series, while Pietersen and Bell scored 264 more between them than Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Gautim Gambhir combined.
"It's important we stay together as a unit because the expectation levels are quite high," Dhoni said. "It's about the team rising to the occasion together.
"That's the way ahead."
