• England v India, 4th Test, The Oval

England must finish on a high, warns Swann

England secured the No. 1 Test ranking with victory at Edgbaston © Getty Images

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Graeme Swann has insisted England will put any celebrations about being the No. 1 side in Test cricket on hold until after the final Test against India.

With the score in the current series reading 3-0, Andrew Strauss's men will face India in the fourth and final Test at the Oval on Thursday knowing that even a defeat will not affect either the series result or their ranking.

While still delighted at the performance that saw England claim the No. 1 ranking at the Oval last week, Swann insists England will not let their concentration drop - as he expects MS Dhoni's men to try and regain some pride after being outclassed so far in the series.

"It's a nice feeling [being No. 1], but it is not something we're focusing on. It's finishing off the series that is the important thing and come Thursday that's what we'll be hoping to do," Swann said. "We want to do ourselves justice in the final game, as we did very well in the Ashes. Andy Flower and Andy Strauss won't be allowing us to rest on our laurels. They'll be keener than ever for us to put on a great performance.

"Cricket is one of those games that when one team is on top the other looks like it is being dragged through the mill, so it would be very dangerous to think they are anything other than a world-class outfit.

"They'll turn up to beat us on Thursday and we'll have to play exceptionally well to match them and, hopefully, beat them."

When asked where this England side ranks against others in history, Swann wasn't too keen to launch into any comparisons. With England not set to return to the Test arena until 2012, the 32-year-old believes it is just important they finish strongly after playing such a high standard of cricket for such a long period of time.

"It's the best England team I've ever played in, so I'm happy with that," he said. "It's the last Test match for a while, until January, and that's important - it's a good chance for us to sign off on a winning note. We've played some great cricket over the last 18 months but it would be disappointing if we let it slip away in this Test."

The spinner believes the bowlers will again prove crucial, citing the influence they have had so far on the series as one of the keys to England's victories.

"I think the best thing we've done all series is keep India down below 300 every time we've bowled," he noted. "Going into the series I don't think anyone would have given us a good chance of doing that, so we need to keep it up and we'll have our work cut out to do so."

Swann also had time to praise the return of Graham Onions - the Durham bowler earning a recall this week after almost 18 months out of the setup following back trouble. "It's great to have him back. He can come in and fill in when necessary," Swann said. "He's fit and raring to go and he'll do a job for us if he gets into the team on Thursday - we all know that."

James Anderson experienced tightness in his right quadriceps in the aftermath of the team's innings-and-242-run victory at Edgbaston on Sunday, but Swann is confident that his team-mate will be passed fit in time for Thursday's Test.

"I honestly didn't know he was injured until he told me this morning that he's not going to play," said Swann. "Jimmy seemed fine to be. I'm sure it's just a bit of stiffness. I'm no physio or doctor, but he didn't seem to be limping from the car.

"I'm sure once he gets running around, he'll want to play because I know how well he's bowling at the minute. I know Jimmy - when he's doing well, he's hungry for the ball and he just wants to keep going. It's when he's not doing so well, he's more than happy for a week off."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.