Monty Panesar

 Here is the stormy weather forecast for Lord's for next Thursday when India and England begin their three-Test series:

D. Karthik b Panesar 1

G. Gambhir c Pietersen b Panesar 3

R. Dravid c Bell b Panesar 11

S. Tendulkar lbw Panesar 0

S. Ganguly b Panesar 0

Yuvraj Singh c&b Panesar 4

…and so on…..

In your dreams, baby, indignant Indians will retort.

However, the way things are progressing with Monty Panesar, who famously took the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, his boyhood hero, plus those of Mohammed Kaif and Rahul Dravid in his debut Test in Nagpur in March last year, one can never be sure.

Today, as the India-England clash was set up as almost a personal contest between Panesar and Tendulkar, the England left arm spinner said he kept the ball from the Nagpur Test in his bedroom.

Tendulkar, Panesar revealed, signed the match ball for him and joked as he handed it over: “That will never happen again.”

The 6ft 1in Sikh, who was born to Punjabi immigrant parents in Luton, Bedfordshire, on April 25, 1982, is now a favourite with English crowds who consider “Monty” as one of their own.

It helps that Mudhsuden Singh Panesar's nickname of “Monty” evokes tales of derring-do of a heroic British general — Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein — from World War II.

If Panesar performs well, it will be good for British Indians in a way for it will help undo some of the damage that is being done to the reputation of India and Indians by the boys from Bangalore allegedly caught up in terrorism.

Panesar himself is un-Indian in one way — he has learnt to do self-deprecation and is modest. When discussing that Tendulkar dismissal, he said he continued to hold “The Little Maestro” in very high regard and believed he was just “lucky” to get that first wicket.

“It was a great feeling to get my first Test wicket,” admitted Panesar. “Sachin was my childhood hero and somehow it hit the pad before the bat!”

He went on: “Then you start celebrating, running towards point, then third man and fine leg! When you play against such great players, that is the impact they have on you. Your energy comes out and you are flying. It is one of my most treasured moments. That ball is precious and kept safely in my bedroom.”

In the last 14 months, Panesar has taken 64 wickets, including six five-wicket hauls, in 17 Tests, and climbed up the International Cricket Council rankings to sixth in the world.

“I don't feel like I am a top 10 bowler, I still feel like a baby compared to other spinners out there. I have got a lot to learn,” he said, once more doing his English modesty bit.

“India has such an experienced batting line-up which has dominated world-class spinners,” he remarked. “I will probably just gain a lot by playing against them and learning about the way they play spin.”

Panesar agreed that he would have loved to have played alongside Tendulkar but pointed out: “Yes, it would have been nice to play in the same side as my hero, Sachin Tendulkar, but I always wanted to play for England. It was my childhood dream to play for England. It will be nice to have another crack at India. They are the best players of spin bowling in the world.”

Playing for Northampton against Gloucestershire earlier this week, the man who was nominated as the BBC's latest sports personality of the year spun his county to victory with six for 65.

Sachin had better watch out — against India, England's favourite Sikh wouldn't want to give away so many runs.