England batsman Ravi Bopara has set his sights on piling on the agony for India in a bid to cement his spot in Alastair Cook's one-day team.
 "I've not been told I will definitely play the rest of the series, but obviously I'd like to play and fight for that spot," Bopara said. © AFP |
Although Bopara has 61 one-day international caps, his inconsistent
form means he has never been able to nail down a place in England's
squad and the last three matches of the limited overs series against the
beleaguered Indians offers a golden opportunity to do just that.
Bopara has only scored five half-centuries for England, with an
average of just over 28, yet an injury to Eoin Morgan and Kevin
Pietersen's rest period means the Essex star is still firmly in captain
Cook's plans.
Morgan took Bopara's place in the Test team against Sri Lanka earlier
this year, but he is out of the rest of the one-day series and the
26-year-old knows he must take advantage, starting in the third match at
The Oval on Friday.
Bopara, who made 24 in a 60-run stand with Cook to help England win the second one-dayer
on Tuesday, said: "I was a bit surprised Eoin was not fit, but
nevertheless I was told early enough and was given time to prepare."
"I've not been told I will definitely play the rest of the series, but obviously I'd like to play and fight for that spot."
"It's a great chance to make it into the first XI and then perform and cement a place in the side."
"It's a great chance, with guys resting and a few injuries about. There is a great opportunity to cement my place."
While Bopara hopes to take his chance, the real dangers to world champions India could be Cook and Craig Kieswetter.
England appeared to face a tough target on Tuesday after Ajinkya
Rahane and Suresh Raina had powered India to 187 for eight in a match
reduced by rain to 23 overs per side under the Rose Bowl lights.
But openers Kieswetter and Cook raced to 67 in under seven overs to
send Mahendra Singh Dhoni's tourists crashing to yet another defeat
after a 4-0 rout in the Test series and a loss in the lone Twenty20
international.
Bopara was impressed with England's poise under pressure as they
chased down the target and he added "The way we went about our business
was unbelievable, especially some of the batters."
"I thought the way our batters went about chasing it was spot on."
"When I went in we obviously needed a few runs, and it was important I got a partnership going with Cookie."
"The most important thing was to keep our concentration on a pretty
good wicket. We looked to be fairly positive and keep the bowlers under
pressure."
India's prowess in one-day matches has been unquestioned in recent
years, but the draining effects of a miserable tour to England have left
them vulnerable even in the short form of the game.
A host of injuries has decimated the squad, with Sachin Tendulkar the
eighth Indian to be ruled out of the series after the batsman suffered a
toe problem before the second game.
Skipper Dhoni admits he has few options left to freshen up a team low on morale and energy.
"We only have specialist bowlers left, which would mean going a
batter light, and that is not something we are comfortable with," Dhoni
said.
"We need the extra batsman because most of our batsmen play aggressive cricket."
"We try to come up with plans that may work, but not much has worked so far for us."
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