It's all in the mind for Bopara

Ravi Bopara must add mental strength to abundant talent to make the most of his one-match chance against India, says Derek Pringle, writing in the Daily Telegraph.

There is no doubting Bopara’s talent for hitting a cricket ball hard, often, and in ways most batsmen would never attempt. Graham Gooch, England’s batting consultant, has been Bopara’s mentor at Essex for almost a decade and reckons he has not worked with a more talented player.

But talent, while needed to gain a player entry to the big league, is not often enough to keep them there, and it needs to be backed by a focussed mind, something that comes less naturally to the easy-going Bopara.