England’s batting coach Graham Gooch is hoping that England’s current crop can stay at the top of world cricket for a long time due to the young age of their squad.
11 of the first-choice setup are still in their 20s, while only Graeme Swann, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott are 30 years or older.
"The ages of the group of players they currently have in the England dressing room is such that those players could be around for a while, so if they keep performing and looking for ways to improve, which I'm sure they will, then the current crop will be there for a number of years yet and that's exciting," said Gooch.
"I think England are playing consistent cricket and they can be rightly proud of their performances but achieving number one status is only a landmark and I don't think there will be lot of back-slapping going on in the England dressing room."
England's last three Test tours of the subcontinent have brought success over minnows Bangladesh in 2010, but defeats at the hands of the Indians in 2008 and the Sri Lankans in 2007.
"Achieving number one status is something, maintaining that status is another," added former captain Gooch.
"They will be looking ahead, both as management and players, to the next Test series and will be thinking of ways of how England can improve on the sub-continent. That's where they are going to have to win if they are to maintain that status and how they can keep going forward as a team."