Series win vs India on par with Ashes triumph: Bayliss

Southampton: The victory against world no. 1 India in the ongoing five-Test series is on par with beating Australia in the Ashes, said England coach Trevor Bayliss, who suggested they might experiment in the final match starting at London on Friday.

"It is right up there with beating Australia in the Ashes. Obviously India are a very good team, the number

one team, and to knock them off is a very good feeling," said Bayliss after England sealed the series with a 60-run win in the fourth Test.

"There were some difficult conditions especially on day one. We have said before, under a bit of pressure these guys have got a bit of character which is a good sign going forward."

With opener Alastair Cook announcing his retirement after this series, and skipper Joe Root eager to bat at number four, England will have to figure out their top-order in the final Test as well as in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka and West Indies.

Moeen Ali was promoted to the number 3 spot in the second innings of the fourth Test, paving the way for Root to bat at four and Bayliss said the off-spinner might be an option in that position in the right condition.

"I'm sure there will be discussions on a few things in the next couple of days. Batsmen would like to have a settled position in the order. You always find in any era or team there are one or two guys who have to be a bit flexible," he said.

"Moeen has been that guy for us over the last few years. When Root asked him if he was keen to do it he jumped at it. In the right conditions I would not put it past him.

"He works hard at his game. In spinning conditions he can cover that pretty well at the moment but his challenge will be on the faster wickets but we haven't got any of those for a while."

Bayliss, however, wasn't sure if Ali would be a permanent move and hinted it was possible for Root to revert to the role. "Joe has always said he wants to bat at four. He understood where I was coming from that if we had a number three averaging 50 to allow him to bat at four, that would be handy. But I thought it was for the best of the team he batted at three," he said.