England captain Andrew Strauss believes that his team have been the best in the world for the last two years and have the weapons to topple India from the top of the Test rankings. India are currently number one in the ICC's Test Championship table and England third.
But England will leapfrog the Indians at the top of the rankings if they win the upcoming four-match series between the countries, which starts at Lord's here on Thursday, by two clear Tests.
"Our cricket over the last two years, I don't think there's been a side who has been better than us," Strauss told reporters at Lord's, his Middlesex home ground, on Wednesday. "We've won seven out of eight series (including an Ashes triumph in Australia) and the other has been drawn (away to South Africa), but this is a new challenge for us.
"Our ultimate goal in the long term is not just to be the side who is number one in the rankings but the side everyone agrees is the best side in the world. "That's still a long-term goal regardless of whether we win or lose this series," the opening batsman added ahead of what will be the 2,000th Test ever played and the 100th between England and India.
And he insisted he was not taking lightly an India side who under captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni have shed their reputation as a 'soft touch' away from the sub-continent.
"You don't become the number one side without being able to play away from home as well and that's probably the greatest improvement they've made.
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