Fletcher has provided quiet authority and analysis

With two caps to his name, Matthew Hoggard was the most experienced strike bowler in the team, while an injury to Ashley Giles left immense pressure on the shoulders of the uncapped Richard Dawson.

But Hussain built up such a level of trust with his players that several newcomers filled the shoes of veterans with barely a noticeable difference.

The siege mentality remained to some degree, but this time it was used as a force for good, as the captain successfully bonded his squad together in the face of adversity.

Articulate and thoughtful while dealing with an adoring Indian public and media, Hussain was always the pivotal figure on the field.

'Too intense'

And in a fiery series, which saw an on-field spat with Indian ace Sachin Tendulkar, he proved once and for all that he has been able to channel his aggression into becoming a forceful international captain.

Earlier in his career he was known as a hot head, who tended to dwell on his own personal success or failure - and he was not the universal choice as Stewart's successor.

Hussain had a stop-start early England career

But he has made a mockery of those sceptics who believed his temperament was too intense for leadership.

"When I was first interviewed for the job I said that you behave one way as a player because you focus on your own game, and that is your job," Hussain said prior to his departure for India.

"It's not up to you to worry about what we're going to do if we win the toss or what the side's going to be.

"You have to give people credit that when they are captain they are going to behave differently."

Guiding hand

His record speaks for itself, with England losing just nine of 27 Tests he has captained since his appointment following the debacle of the 1999 World Cup.

Hussain has also overcome a loss of batting form caused, in part, by the pressures of the captaincy when he went 21 Tests without a century before breaking that sequence by scoring 109 against Sri Lanka in Kandy last winter.

Hussain has had to endure poor batting form

Of course, Zimbabwean Duncan Fletcher, who took on the coaching reins in September 1999 after Hussain's first series at the helm, has also had a massive impact on the side.

Fletcher provides the quiet authority and analysis to Hussain's more passionate and emotional rhetoric, both inside and outside the dressing room.

And it was significant that when the captain's finger injuries split the duo up for much last summer, the team lost to Pakistan at Old Trafford and were then beaten soundly 4-1 by Australia in the Ashes series.

There is one man that the England side look to for guidance, encouragement and total support - and there is one man who will always provide it.

Although, if Hussain himself is to be believed, his team-mates should make the most of his leadership while they can - because he plans to step down after the 2003 World Cup.