She is 25 years old and is already on her third tour of India. Clare Connor is in Chennai leading England against India in a five one-day and one-off Test series that will do much to promote the women's game, a fact that the left-arm spinner knows only too well. Despite being mobbed constantly, she took time off after a lengthy practice session to talk to CricInfo.

"The attention has been brilliant. We knew it would be exciting to come to India. The cricket would be really appreciated," she began. "We get a fair bit of publicity, and that makes us feel that we are here to do something important, which we are. It is good to know that the profile of women's cricket is being raised." As a captain of an international team, Connor is doing all she can to raise public interest in the game, not something that can be said about all captains.

For Connor, who has seven Tests and 50 one-dayers to her credit already, it was not a case of being earmarked for captaincy from an early age. "I didn't think I would be leading England till it happened, really!" she said, in all modesty. "I suppose I started thinking I had a chance when I was made vice-captain in 1999. I took over the captaincy just six months later, so I didn't have a long bedding in period or anything. I love captaincy. My personal performance has improved, and the team performances are improving."

While appearing confident, Connor realised that her English team are not exactly world-beaters. "We know we are a young squad and have quite a way to go. With the help of our new coach, John Harmer from Australia, I hope I am leading them in the right direction. We have got good support, and I just hope that some of the girls get confidence from this tour and that we have some good results." If Harmer's record is anything to go by - he has coached Australia to three World Cup finals - then England will learn more, quicker than ever now.

Personally, however, Connor's biggest moments have been clouded by the team's failure to win. When she scalped 5/49, including a hat-trick, against India at Northampton in 1999, Anjum Chopra made a century and India won by 86 runs. After that, it was the turn of debutante Australian Michelle Goszko (204) to ruin the party when Connor mopped up 5/65 at Shenley in 2001, where England lost by an innings and 140 runs. "It is all right that I did well and the team lost; it is the team performance that matters at the end of the day. Michelle Goszko batted brilliantly at Shenley to get a double hundred, and so did Chopra at Northampton. But I admit that it was strange to get 5/49, including a hat-trick, and not end up on the winning side. There you go, that's cricket for you."

Sudha Shah, former captain of the Indian team, once said in an interview to CricInfo, "We don't want to be compared to the men." It is a recurring theme with many women cricketers, but one that Connor does not subscribe to. "The comparisons to the men's game do not really irritate me. I think it is a natural question to ask why women's cricket isn't supported as much and that kind of thing," she said. "We are amateurs, while the men are professionals. Even that is changing, with sponsorship from the national lottery coming in. That lets us train more and maybe even go part-time with our jobs. Those comparisons don't get me agitated at all."

When she is not turning her arm over for England, Connor teaches English at Brighton College. "I love teaching English. The massive advantage is that they developed my cricket themselves, so they are totally supportive of me going away on tour. I owe them a huge amount, really, both for the fact that they coached me at cricket from the age of eight and for letting me come out on tours like this."

Teaching English apart, it is obvious, from watching the enthusiasm with which Connor practices, that cricket gives her a great deal of joy. "Being a cricketer means everything to me. Pulling on an England shirt means the world. It is something not everyone has the opportunity to do," she said. "It is something I am very proud of. I am also keen to pass it on to some of my teammates, who are making their debuts; I hope it means as much to them as well."

Turning her attention to the current tour of India, Connor was quick to state that she has not set any specific targets for herself. "My first priority is the team. If I lead the side well, maybe it will earn the side a few wickets in the field. If I bowl well and pick up two or three wickets a game, that would be great," she explained. "My captaincy is the most important thing to me, and I know that my performance will come if I am leading the team well," she said, with a confidence difficult to doubt.

Not too long ago, another England captain, Nasser Hussain, came under severe criticism for employing "negative" tactics against the Indians. Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar went as far as saying, in a newspaper column, "Without the slightest doubt, England are the most unattractive and boring side to have played cricket in India." The little master would almost certainly reconsider his stance if he had a chat with Connor. "We have got two left-arm spinners - myself and Dawn Holden. She is a big turner of the ball and will bowl over the wicket. I do not know if we will need to bowl a leg-side line this tour," said Connor. "I bowl around the wicket," she added, with a smile that some might describe as mischievous. If Clare Joanne Connor is anything to go by, this tour will be anything but "unattractive and boring."

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