Ravi Bopara's call-up to England's one-day squad is a fantastic opportunity.
 | He's got a lot of shots. He's shown that at Essex when he's at the top of his game |
He is playing in Australia, with a chance to play against the top side in the world, and he'll go out there and give it his best shot.
Ravi is 21 and has got that freshness of youth. It will be tough for anyone who comes in to do well but good luck to him.
He's got very high energy levels, is a lovely bloke to be around, is great in the dressing-room and if he gets the chance he can go out and do himself proud.
In his favour is the fact that he was in Perth before Christmas where we had a high performance camp.
So he's experienced quite a bit of Australian conditions there and worked very hard.
We all know that batters take time to mature so I don't think anybody can expect Ravi to be the finished article at this stage. But his game moves forward very fast.
With anyone of that age a lot of it is about making technical refinements but also allowing them to gain experience to apply the technique they've got to different situations.
There are definitely some wickets in Australia with a bit more bounce than England, but his challenge will be to adjust.
| 606: CRICKET |
All players who become successful at international level have to adapt to the different surfaces they play on.
He's got a lot of shots. He's shown that at Essex when he's at the top of his game.
He's a fantastic player to watch. The key for Ravi has always been to get the shot selection right and pick the right time to attack.
All the coaches were really pleased with him at Perth because he knuckled down to concentrate on doing the really hard work to give him consistency to go with the flair that he's already got.
Ravi bats at five in Essex's one-day side but may be called on to open the batting.
| He could certainly fill in with a few overs as the sixth bowler in certain situations |
The key thing is that when he goes in he relaxes, watches the ball and just goes out there and plays.
He's an energetic fielder and bowls a bit as well. It's lively medium pace and he's got a wicket-taking ball in him which is one of his strengths.
He could certainly fill in with a few overs as the sixth bowler in certain situations and he's worked hard this winter with [Academy coach] Ottis Gibson to get his consistency up.
How he reacts to the international scene you never quite know.
You watch people in training and make an assessment. I think Ravi is one of those characters who will go out there and rightly try and show off, and show what he's got.
Interview by Oliver Brett
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Interview: Academy director Peter Moores
