"Success breeds success". The adage is universal and it sums up more or less what has been happening to football in India.

The country brought a new dimension to its game when last year the national team held its first tour in England.

Much was made of this back in the sub-continent and the games were transmitted live.

In footballing terms the tour was another step towards giving India's travel shy squad greater exposure and with it something for the archives of experience.

But in this day and age, football, if not married to business, is well and truly engaged to it.

So another aim of last year's tour was to raise the game's profile.

In India where cricket suffocates every other sport, such moves are needed if football is to be allowed to breathe.

And much the same has been said of India's visit this time round.

India's main coach Sukwinder Singh has brought with him a squad of 22 players and he's more upbeat about his side's chances after they failed to win any of their encounters against league sides last year.

"The boys are slowly learning how to play against superior opponents" he told reporters at the team's training camp in Delhi just before flying to England.

"They are involved for the ninety minutes and the consistency is up."

Aminul Islam, football correspondent for The India Express understands the value of such development.

" The work is not complete and we must look beyond this tour," he explained.

"The present Indian team is led by I.M Vijayan and Baichung Bhutia but Vijayan is going to retire in another couple of years.

"After them the Indian team just has no other strikers. So India must look to the grass roots level to produce players who can take their places." Islam added.

Finding money is still the root of their problems but with the second English tour about to kick off on the 24 July against Brentford, there is hope of generating more cash.

The road ahead for India may be a long one but a year on from their last visit no one can doubt that at least they are on the right track.