By Paul Grunill BBC Sport cricket editor

Katherine Brunt has packed an awful lot into her two years as an international cricketer.

Andrew Flintoff's really laid-back - but it never crossed my mind to get tips from him Katherine Brunt

In that time she's played in a World Cup, helped England regain the women's Ashes, met the Prime Minister and the Queen and been named Player of the Year by the team sponsors.

"It's been an incredibly good journey so far, but sometimes you have to pinch yourself wondering whether you're actually seeing what you're seeing.

"Obviously being at Buckingham Palace is something you never expect will happen," she told BBC Sport.

Now, Brunt is focusing on an upcoming home series against India.

And she has unfinished business after a hand injury cut short her involvement in England's troubled tour to the sub-continent last winter, the first setback of her short career.

"I dived to my left (during the Test match) and my little finger got stuck in the ground. It turned into a spiral fracture down my hand.

KATHERINE BRUNT'S RECORD 4 Tests 18 wickets, average 19.83, best bowling 5-47 10 ODIs 5 wickets, average 54.60, best bowling 2-35 1 Twenty20 3 wickets, average 6.00, best bowling 3-18

"It took probably four or five weeks to mend. I was in a cast for two weeks but they took it off because it was shaping my finger the wrong way.

"Coming back on the plane by myself with the cast on and no help was quite tricky as I had three massive bags," the 21-year-old strike bowler said.

"It was really disappointing and upsetting. It was my first tour to India and I was very confident of going out there and producing the same kind of bowling I did in the Ashes."

Thankfully, the injury had no lasting effects and Brunt recently took eight wickets to help the Sapphires win the domestic Super 4s title, with an excellent economy rate of 2.77 runs per over.

"Normally I like to bowl just back of a length, but I've been working on bowling the majority of balls a bit fuller to entice the batters to drive and get more edges," she said.

It is a tactic which she hopes will pay off against India in her role as the team's chief strike bowler.

"On the back foot they're pretty strong - and they're quite strong on the leg-side, so getting them to come forward and drive it more creates edges because I do like to nip it away (off the seam), with the odd one that cuts back in."

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Brunt is also hoping for an opportunity to work on her batting following a crucial innings of 52 in the Test win over Australia at Worcester last summer.

"My bowling is my stronger suit, but at the time it was incredibly important that Isa (Guha) and I put on as many runs as we did.

"We kind of went into our own little bubble for a couple of hours, but it was good fun.

"Batting at 10 or 11 you don't really get many chances. But I'd like to be the kind of batter that comes in and settles things down in the middle (of an innings) - that's what Arran Brindle did for us really well."

Although the last World Cup only took place last year, Brunt sees the series against India as an important step towards the 2009 tournament in Australia.

"We want to retain the Ashes (in 2008) but for me personally, winning the World Cup would be the best thing.

"Last year's World Cup was a little bit nerve-wracking, but now, with my experience, if I had to do it again I believe I'd perform 100% better."