Varun Chopra sent out a statement of his intent for this season by scoring a century against reigning Specsavers County Champions Yorkshire at Edgbaston last week.
The opening batsman’s stylish 107 came in a strong team performance by the Bears which saw them have the better of a draw against a team which has much the better of their recent clashes in four-day cricket.
And Chopra intends that ton to be the first of many over the coming months as he and opening partner Ian Westwood strive to supply the Bears’ innings with vital solid foundations.
“I felt I was moving well and timing the ball nicely against Yorkshire,” said Chopra. “They are champions for the last two years and have a strong bowling attack and even with Ryan Sidebottom injured they keep coming at you, so I was pleased with the way I batted.
“You are always working at your game and never take things from granted as a batsman. You always know a low run of scores is potentially around the corner, so once you are seeing the ball well and moving well it’s important to try to get the team off to as good a start as possible.
“If me and Westy and provide a good solid start it makes the job a bit easier for our really strong middle-order.
“We have a little break now before the Somerset game next week but hopefully I can continue against them.”
Chopra has passed 50 in three of his four first-class innings this season, a promising start to a campaign which follows a busy pre-season for the 28-year-old.
He spent two and a half weeks in India before joining up with Warwickshire for their pre-season stay in Dubai.
“I hit a lot of balls out in India, a lot of spin but also seam as well,” he said. “Then we went to Dubai and then had the games back here so the pre-season was quite long but very good in terms of preparation.”
In preparation for cricket, that is. Not quite such good prep, out in the heat of Asia, for the bitter cold and snow which plagued last week’s game at Edgbaston. It was not much fun in the slips, admits Chopra.
“It’s not nice,” he said. “You just have to hope that a catch goes in clean if you get one. It was freezing cold.
“You don’t want to put your hands in your pockets but you have got your hand-warmers in there so you’ve got to use them just to get a little bit of heat in your hands.
“You’ve just got to muck in for the team. Chances can sting when they come at you but generally if you take them they hurt a lot less.”
