Rahul Dravid, captain (centre) of the Indian cricket team holds the trophy for winning the Test series against England at the Oval cricket ground in London yesterday. - AP

LONDON (AP)

INDIA ENDED England's six-year unbeaten streak in home series yesterday when the teams drew the third and final Test at The Oval.

Kevin Pietersen hit 101 for his 10th century in 30 Tests to lead England to 369 for six wickets, avoiding defeat in the match, which was just about unwinnable after India hit 664 in its first innings.

India's 1-0 win, secured through the seven-wicket victory in the second Test, made it the first touring side to take a series in England since Australia in the 2001 Ashes.

England were left to rue the drawn first Test, when it dominated before bad light and rain denied it the chance to take the final wicket needed for victory.

"It's a very special moment winning the series after being on the edge," Man-of-the-Match Anil Kumble said. "It's a total team effort from everyone. I think we really deserved to win the series."

With all-rounder Andrew Flintoff having missed the whole series because of injury, Pietersen, who was eventually caught by Dinesh Karthik off Sree Santh after tea, was the only England batsman capable of scoring at the rate needed to get his side close to an improbable victory.

The upper hand

However, India's bowlers continued to find movement from the pitch and with a draw still to play for, Pietersen took 159 deliveries to reach his total despite speeding up considerably after lunch.

Pietersen and Paul Collingwood fell in the final session after adding 104 for the fourth wicket, giving India hope of victory, but England managed to hold on.

Ultimately, it was India's batsmen getting the upper hand on Thursday and Friday that decided the match.

"There's about three or four bowlers out and looking to get backin the side," England paceman James Anderson said.

Although England looked steady against the probing bowling of Santh, Zaheer Khan and Kumble, Pietersen and Ian Bell (67) were the only players to pass 50 yesterday.

Opener Alastair Cook fell for 43, while captain Michael Vaughan made 42 and Collingwood 40. Matthew Prior (12) and Ryan Sidebottom (3) were the unbeaten batsmen when play ended.

The draw averted a 2-0 series loss that would have left India just behind second-place England in the Test standings.

Set a hugely unlikely 500 to win when India declared its second innings at 180-6 on Sunday, England resumed on 56-0 yesterday and then lost Andrew Strauss and Cook before lunch.

Vaughan and Pietersen built a 66-run, third-wicket partnership to steady the innings, but the home side's scoring rate stayed far too low to seriously trouble the target.

A quick move

Vaughan, who was dropped at slip just before lunch by India captain Rahul Dravid off Kumble when on 16, fell for 42 when he edged a wide delivery by Santh to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Collingwood and Pietersen added 104 off 141 balls before Collingwood was trapped leg before wicket and Pietersen then seemed to lose concentration after scoring his hundred. From the next delivery, the batsman swung at a short ball pitching outside off stump and hit a thick edge to Karthik at slip to make it 289-5.

Bell hit his 67 from 62 balls before he was out lbw to Kumble, giving India hope of victory with four overs to go, but Sidebottom survived a couple of scares to guide England to safety.