Bairstow proud to be handed England opening

Bairstow alerted the cricket world to his talents with a match-clinching 41 not out from only 21 balls on debut against India in Cardiff last month.

It was enough to draw the admiration of his new captain Alastair Cook and coach Andy Flower, and for his name to be included in the 15-strong squad in India for a rematch of five one-day internationals and one Twenty20.

The difference, in tomorrow’s warm-up fixture against a Hyderabad Cricket Association XI, will be that Bairstow is deployed not as a specialist batsman but wicketkeeper, too.

Craig Kieswetter’s absence during his Champions League exploits with Somerset means 22-year-old Bairstow will have an early one-off opportunity to prove his prowess behind as well as in front of the stumps.

His late father David was good enough in both disciplines to win four Test and 21 one-day international caps.

Whether Bairstow’s forte turns out to be with the bat rather than the gloves remains to be seen but he has already proved sufficiently adept with the latter to follow in his father’s footsteps as Yorkshire’s first-choice wicketkeeper this season.

Either way, his maiden England tour – after just one ODI and two Twenty20 appearances – is a poignant landmark for the Bairstows.

“Without a doubt, it’s a proud moment for us,” he said.

“I hope I can keep going and keep doing the family proud.”

Bairstow was only eight years old when his father died at the age of 46, but is sure plenty of advice would have been forthcoming from a cricketer renowned in his playing days for his irrepressible nature.

“I’m sure he’d have had some wise words to say coming out here.”

They might easily have accentuated the positive after Bairstow’s eye-catching debut, but the man himself is mixing his enthusiasm with a dose of realism.

“It was just one innings,” he said. “There’s obviously a little bit to live up to. But at the end of the day, it was just one knock. You’ve got to try to look at the positives. We all know it was one innings; I know myself it was.

“But to start like that is fantastic. It’s in the practices and practice games from now on that I really have to put the ‘hard yards’ in to keep replicating the performances.

“It was something I was very pleased with, and I hope I can take it forward into these warm-up games and then – with a bit of luck – into the ODI series.”

Bairstow knows he is taking a step into the unknown, his maiden tour and maiden voyage to India, but will relish the challenge – starting with his chance to keep wicket at the Rajiv Ghandi Stadium this weekend.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity, and I’m really looking forward to that and hope I can take it,” he said.

As for his batting, it was a combination of power and composure which so impressed Flower and company. Bairstow is intending to stick to his favoured shots but knows he will also have to be prepared to adapt on slow, spin-friendly surfaces.

“I’ve not been out here before, so it’s assessing the conditions and playing accordingly – whether that is changing game plans or sticking to the same ones.

“If you do start changing and tampering with things that have been successful for you so far, there’s the chance for them to go wrong.”

Behind the stumps, Bairstow was a relatively late starter – concentrating initially on his batting –but is beginning to hone his skills, with the help of England’s wicketkeeping coach Bruce French.

“I’ve worked really hard with Bruce over the last couple of years,” he added. “That’s starting to pay off. It’s not been easy by any means, but gaining the experience from keeping for Yorkshire seems to be helping.

“I’ll just have to wait and see. But it’s obviously pleasing that’s coming along, as well as my batting.”