England bow to Tendulkar's genius I Panesar finds nowhere to turn in India I Victory dedicated to Mumbai victims I Commentary: Simon Barnes I Analysis: Mike Atherton I Pietersen to blame for tactical disaster

It seems longer than a month ago that Yuvraj Singh, his tongue lubricated by a brilliant hundred, sat on a lawn in Rajkot and asked how England could afford to leave out Monty Panesar from their 50-over squad. With many more disappointments, the question will not be Panesar's omission from one format, but his inclusion for another.

A final-day pitch in Madras (Chennai) providing turn and bounce presented Panesar with perfect conditions to nail a victory yesterday that would have resonated longer than anything achieved by England since the 2005 Ashes. Instead, he delivered 27 wicketless overs for 105 runs, the sikh of tweak milked like an unholy cow for one comfortable single after another by the India batsmen.

Last summer, Shane Warne suggested that Panesar had learnt nothing from his first 2 years as a Test cricketer. Yes, the statistics stacked up. But Warne felt that Panesar was bowling as though every game was his first, failing to retain information on pitches, batsmen or fielding positions. To take the next step, Panesar needed to vary his pace, flight and angle of delivery. Warne's frank assessment appeared shrewder by the session as Graeme Swann, making his debut, outbowled a one-time colleague at Northamptonshire. Panesar wheeled away accurately. In the first innings, containing an end, that may have been enough. But this time, as first violin rather than second fiddle, he needed more. Batsmen as fleet-footed as Yuvraj and Sachin Tendulkar would not be tied down and give away wickets in frustration.

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England set free the Henman within, the consequences were inevitable

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India's victory dedicated to Mumbai victims

England take some credit despite defeat as Sachin Tendulkar says his century may have eased some of the nation's pain

• Kevin Pietersen lets inexperience show

• India defeat will be psychologically damaging for England, says Mike Atherton

• Monty Panesar finds nowhere to turn in India

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Panesar has played in 34 Tests and taken 117 wickets, but outwardly lacks the confidence of someone established at the highest level. He is polite and modest to the point of being deferential. He will always talk up an opponent. Tendulkar is a particular hero; in 2006 Panesar required an intermediary to ask the “Little Master” to autograph the very ball that brought him his dream wicket, the first of those 117.

It has become a cliché to point out that he responds to conceding a boundary by firing in the next ball. So why does he still do it? The answer may lie in a revealing passage in his autobiography, published last year, when he recalls his thoughts after Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan struck a straight six in an under-19 international in Bombay.

“You are told on these occasions to avoid the trap of spearing in the next one a bit quicker,” Panesar wrote. “That is what the batsman will expect. It is a natural act - you've been hit and you do not want it to happen again. The quicker the ball, the less time he has to go through with his shot. Well, that's the theory. I did what Vidyut should have anticipated least, floated it down slowly - and turned round to see it disappear even higher and farther.” Once bitten, perhaps.

To put this in context, Panesar is England's most effective spin bowler since Derek Underwood, whose record of 297 wickets at an average of 25.83 belittles anything returned by successors since his 86th and last Test appearance in 1982. While Underwood was devastating in India in 1976-77 (29 wickets at 17.55), he struggled in 1981-82, when his ten wickets in six Tests cost 43.80 runs apiece.

So India tours do not always present spinners with bucketloads of wickets. Even Warne famously struggled there. But at least he could fall back on one of the cleverest cricket brains around: his own. While Panesar needs help, Mushtaq Ahmed, appointed national spin coach in October, will not take up the post until next month now that the ECB has shown the ICC that Mushtaq will be monitored after he was criticised by a judge in a match-fixing inquiry in 2000.

With his strong work ethic and serious outlook, Panesar can be guaranteed to put in the hours. That may not be enough to secure his place in the longer term. Adil Rashid, who will turn 21 in February, has broken into the senior squad for the first time after taking 62 championship wickets in 2008. The Yorkshire player turns his leg break, bowls a googly and boasts two first-class hundreds.

England will not repeat the mistake they made with Chris Schofield, of throwing in a wrist spinner before his time out of desperation to replicate the menace of Warne. But, of all the attributes sought by selectors, “mystery spin” and all-roundedness are high on any wish list. On those criteria, Rashid leads Panesar 2-0. And, unlike Panesar, his graph is on the rise.