Anderson and Bopara back

England drop Swann and Wright for series opener in India

Last updated: 13th November 2008

james anderson

Anderson: back in favour

I'm a big Ravi Bopara fan on these wickets and we wanted to give him a go - I think he's so exciting.

Kevin Pietersen
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India v England, 1st ODI
Rajkot, Nov 14
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James Anderson and Ravi Bopara have been recalled for England's opening one-day international against India on Friday.

Lancashire fast bowler James Anderson replaces Graeme Swann, while Essex all-rounder Bopara comes in for Luke Wright in the only two changes to the starting XI that lost the $20 million Stanford showdown in Antigua.

The omission of Nottinghamshire off-spinner Swann means his county team-mate Samit Patel will be the only specialist slow bowling option in Rajkot.

"Ravi has earned his recall," explained captain Kevin Pietersen.

Bopara fan

"He's been on the sidelines for a lot of the cricket we've played for the last however long.

"I'm a big Ravi Bopara fan on these wickets and we wanted to give him a go - I think he's so exciting.

"He's a very quick learner, he wants to learn and he's also willing to ask questions.

"He's really impressed me in the short term I've been captain and also when I've played alongside him as a player."

Bopara's call-up brings an end to a run of 14 consecutive one-day internationals for Sussex all-rounder Wright, who Pietersen admitted had "done nothing wrong", but he believes Bopara is a better bet on Indian wickets.

Broad fit

Stuart Broard was passed fit to take his place in the bowling attack, allowing England to stick with the same formula that secured a 4-0 home success over South Africa at the end of last summer.

During that series, England excelled using four specialists seamers - Broad, Anderson, Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff - alongside Patel's spin and supplemented by the medium pace of Wright and Paul Collingwood.

Broad sat out the 124-run defeat against the Mumbai Cricket Association on Tuesday due to a sore knee but came through a fitness test on Thursday morning.

England: IR Bell (Warwickshire), MJ Prior (Sussex, wkt), OA Shah (Middlesex), KP Pietersen (Hampshire, capt), A Flintoff (Lancashire), PD Collingwood (Durham), SR Patel (Nottinghamshire), RS Bopara (Essex), SC Broad (Nottinghamshire), JM Anderson (Lancashire), SJ Harmison (Durham)