Ben Stokes insists he is proud of England's efforts despite defeat in the Fourth Test sealing a series victory for India.

The tourists are 3-1 down with one match left to play in Dharamshala after their hosts chased down 192 for the loss of five wickets in Ranchi.

Stokes' side restricted India to 120-5 and had a sniff of glory before Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel put on a stand to secure their team's 17th consecutive home series win.

But the visiting skipper was not displeased with his troops, who have had opportunities in each of the three matches they have lost.

Stokes, 32, told TNT Sports: "The 3-1 score doesn't look great but the way in which we've come at India is what I'm most proud of.

"This young, inexperienced team has been successful over the past two years but coming to India is a completely different beast, something that this team has not been exposed to.

"Even today that wasn't an easy win for India and I think they would admit that.

"I'm very proud of the way every player has thrown everything at it. Nobody has ever taken a backward step."

The performance of England's spinners has been a highlight of the tour, particularly after experienced left-armer Jack Leach was injured in the First Test and ruled out of the remaining matches.

Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir have both made their debuts on this trip — the former taking 20 wickets in four outings and the latter managing 12 in two.

And Stokes is excited at what the future holds for the pair.

He added: "Before a ball was bowled in this series, there were a lot of question marks around the two selections.

"They'll be able to leave at the end of this tour with their heads held very high. We've got more exciting talent which is a great thing for English cricket."