During the media interaction, England batsman Ravi Bopara ( in pic) was asked whether he was disappointed missing an opportunity to play at the Eden Gardens with their World Cup
tie against India being shifted from Kolkata’s famed venue to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here.Bopara was quick to answer in the negative and for no small reason either. “Not really. I enjoy playing here in Bangalore. I played here against Royal Challengers (in the Indian Premier League). It is a nice ground to play on and it is a great atmosphere,” said the English batsman.
Though Bopara was one among the foreigners who went unsold at the recent IPL auction, the righthanded batsman probably has fond memories of his stint with Kings XI Punjab, including the brisk innings he played in Bangalore against RCB in IPL-3. Though his innings fetched the Kumar Sangakkara-led side a 200-plus total, the team lost after Jacques Kallis orchestrated a terrific chase for the Bangalore side. Still Bangalore has made a lasting impression on Bopara, a player of Indian origin, and he is expecting nothing short of an electric environs on Sunday.
“I have played in this atmosphere before in the IPL and also with the England team during the last tour. It is very noisy. You struggle to have a conversation with a player on the field but it is fun. The crowd is enjoying it. At the end of the day, you are an entertainer and you want them to enjoy. When you set yourself high standards, you don’t drift away. The crowd does pump you up,” noted Bopara.
Being one of the three English players with IPL experience in the current side, Bopara knows a thing or two about the sub-continental conditions and the pitch here. “We know in places like Bangalore, there can be high totals of 270-300. It is a good wicket to bat on especially against the seamers. It slides on to the bat quite nicely. Last time I played in Bangalore, it did not spin. We will be aggressive but that is natural in ODIs now,” added Bopara.
