By Paresh Soni

Isa Guha will be no wiser than her England team-mates when they arrive in India later this month.

ISA GUHA FACTFILE Born: 21/05/85 High Wycombe Test debut: v India, Taunton, 08/2002 Test wickets: 11 at 26.27 ODI debut: v Scotland, Reading, 08/2001 ODI wickets: 36 at 16.33

For although she has been a regular visitor to the land of her parents' birth, she has never bowled a ball in anger on the sub-continent.

"It's going to be a new experience for me," the seamer told BBC Sport.

"The pitches will be harder to play on and it'll be a struggle and a test for the bowlers going from English wickets to there."

Guha and her team-mates played their part in the sport's popularity surge this summer by beating Australia in a Test series for the first time in 42 years.

She was in the team which clinched the Ashes with a nail-biting six-wicket triumph at Worcester, and then watched on as the men ended their own drought against the Australians a couple of weeks later.

The 20-year-old was swept along by the tide of euphoria engulfing the country and cherishes memories of the celebrations in Trafalgar Square.

"Looking back on it now, it's fair to say it was the best day of my life," she enthuses.

"Just to see the amount of support that cricket got that day was fantastic. It raised the profile of women's cricket immensely.

"Playing in the Test we won was really special. It was nerve-wracking because it meant so much.

I've never had problems about playing against India - I'm British born and bred and want to play for England Isa Guha

"We were on the balcony and feeling the pressure but when the final run was scored it was spectacular."

The England women's team did not get that long to dwell on the summer's glories and resumed training a fortnight after the victory parade.

They will play two one-day matches in Sri Lanka before moving on to Delhi.

The India leg, which features a Test in the capital and five more one-dayers, will conclude in Calcutta - from where Guha's parents emigrated to England in the 1960s.

"My family in Calcutta have always been really supportive of me and will be fully behind England," she insisted.

When Guha played against India in England three years ago, she came up against a young batter by the name of Mithali Raj.

Mithali Raj will be the wicket most highly prized by England

Guha came out on top in the end - but not until Raj had made 214.

The biochemistry student is expecting Raj to prove a thorn in England's side again this time around.

"She's one of their best batters, she's got a great eye for the ball and it's going to be tough for us in India," Guha added.

"But we've shown we're capable of beating the best team in the world - we've broken Australia's hold on us.

"It was very challenging but we've shown we've caught up with them and if we keep working hard we can overtake them.

"From a personal point of view, I played in every one-day international in the summer and in the decisive Test against Australia.