Bopara to face Tendulkar

Ravi Bopara © Getty Images

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Ravi Bopara will become the latest England player to realise his dream of facing Sachin Tendulkar when the seven-match NatWest Series against India gets under way next week.

The 22-year-old Essex all-rounder returns to the full international fold for the first time since the World Cup after missing out on the NatWest Series against West Indies earlier in the summer due to a thigh injury.

Monty Panesar has already revealed his admiration for India batting legend Tendulkar, who was the England spinner’s first Test wicket.

And like Panesar, Bopara is of Indian descent, making coming up against ‘The Little Master’ all the more special.

“I’m very excited about facing him in an international for the first time,” Bopara told Essex CCC.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Playing against your hero is something you remember for the rest of your life so I can’t wait.”

Should Tendulkar play, Bopara could be given an early taste of what is to come when he turns out for England Lions against India at Northampton on Saturday.

But it is the chance to add to his nine ODI caps and taking part next month’s Twenty20 World Cup that is of most concern to Bopara.

“I was very hopeful (of being named in the squads) and looking forward to seeing my names in the selections,” he said.

"If I hadn’t, I would have been disappointed – as would any cricketer – but I’m in and raring to go. I just can’t wait to play.

“Picking up that injury was very frustrating as I’d have loved to have had the chance to help England to victory [against West Indies] but it wasn’t to be and I just need to forget about it and move on to the next series – that’s the series that counts now.”

Bopara was surprised by India’s victory in the recent three-match Test series against England, a result he puts down to the tourists’ “awesome” bowling.

With India widely regarded as a better one-day side than Test team, England could be considered underdogs for the forthcoming series.

Bopara is under no illusions about the task at hand.

“They play a lot of one-day cricket compared to England so they’ve always been a good one-day side, although they can also be a little unpredictable,” he said.

“But I’d say England are also on the way up in the one-day arena as well.

Bopara knows India will be a tough challenge

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“We are going to be coming up against a lot of good one-day batsmen so we are going to have to post as big a scores as we can get to put them under pressure when they are batting.”

Bopara is joined in the squad by Essex team-mate Alastair Cook, who is aiming to translate his super start to Test cricket - where he scored a century on debut - into the one-day arena.

In his five caps so far, Cook has managed a top score of just 41, something he is keen to address.

He said: “I was lucky in my Test career that I got off to a good start but one-dayers haven’t quite happened that way.

“I know it’s there (a big score) and it’s just a matter of keeping on believing in myself.

“I need to put in the hard work now, have a couple of days off and then fully prepare myself for what is going to be a long seven-game series – play, travel, practice, play, travel, practice, it’s relentless.

“But if you get into some very good form that’s probably going to be a good thing.”