Matthew Hoggard, 24, is England's brightest fast-bowling prospect. He collected hatfuls of wickets in England's warm-up matches in Pakistan and Sri Lanka last winter, but remained an understudy to Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick. This October, in their absence, he led an experimental attack to a 5-0 clean sweep in the one-day series in Zimbabwe, and is widely expected to take the new ball in the Tests against India. Today in the team's hotel at Heathrow, he was looking confident, nonchalant and freshly-scalped, leaning against the walls with his hands in his pockets.

How the devil are you?
Very well.

What have you been doing since the Zimbabwe tour?
I've been on holiday with my girlfriend, I had a week off relaxing, and that's about it really. Been training hard ever since.

Have you played in India before?
No.

What are you most looking forward to?
Hopefully a nice chicken tikka masala! ["Chicken pizza," suggests an onlooker.] Err … I don't think I'll be having any of them … I'll be staying off the prawns as well!

What are you least looking forward to?
Ummm … dunno. I'm looking forward to the whole tour - there's nothing I'm not looking forward to.

How about flying?
There's no confirmation that [the latest crash in New York] is terrorist-based, it could just be an accident. And besides it's on the other side of the world - it's only happened in America so far, so yeah. No worries.

What have you packed that isn't standard kit?
I'm taking along my DVD player, my backgammon board and my PlayStation - with a wide selection of games - footie, rugby and Lara Croft!

Is there anyone in the party you haven't met?
[Thinks for a moment] No ... I've played against all of them - there's nobody I haven't met.

How do you propose to deal with Sachin Tendulkar?
Get the spinners on early! No, you've just got to keep it tight against him. He's just another batsman, he can get out in one of ten ways, just like everyone else.

How do you rate England's chances?
We're going out to compete, and I think we will do well. Nobody rated us when we went out to Pakistan and Sri Lanka last winter, and we did well there, so I'm optimistic.

What's your personal goal?
To not get clattered around the park, and cement my Test place. I just want to come out of it unscathed really! But seriously, it is a massive opportunity and I've got to grab it with both hands, and keep the other two [Gough and Caddick] out.

A Word With ...
Martyn Ball
Mark Butcher
Usman Afzaal
Mark Ramprakash

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