Charlotte Edwards eyes history in India

Charlotte Edwards believes she is leading the best England squad ever and is confident the ODI and Twenty20 champions can make history on their limited-overs tour of India. England have yet to win in India but Edwards, along with head coach Mark Lane, put faith in the squad despite the absence of two key players while also keeping in mind the ICC World Twenty20 in May.

"We were here for a ten-day camp last year and we do have an idea about the conditions and we have prepared well," said Edwards at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. "India always tends to play better at home and we are all excited to face this challenge. It was snowing back home and out here it is warm but I think this is the best prepared England team ever though we will miss two key players in Claire Taylor and Holly Colvin."

England, who in 2009 won the World Cup, the Twenty20 World Cup, retained the Ashes and defeated Australia 4-0 in the NatWest series, will be playing five one-dayers and three Twenty20 matches on tour. "We have had a good 2009 and we want to build on the momentum leading into the ICC World Twenty20 Cup at the West Indies in May," said Edwards. "In fact we look at this tour as a preparation for that tour."

Lane too was happy with the way the squad was adjusting to conditions. "This is a fit, strong and athletic team. The players have trained hard and this is a good opportunity," he said. "This is a vital tour. They are professional cricketers, they may not bowl as fast as the men or hit as hard as them and may be they might have some extra emotions but I see no difference in coaching a womens' team or a mens' team. The differences have shrunk. We have some good batters and hopefully we will put Jhulan Goswami under the pump."

The tour will open with a warm-up match against Board President's XI in Bangalore on February 17. The city will also host the first two ODIs on February 19 and 21. The next two matches have been scheduled for February 24 and 26 in Visakapatnam, with Mumbai's MIG Stadium hosting the final ODI.