Tendulkar upbeat

Meanwhile, work was going on apace at the Sharjah ground where the matches will be played under lights for the first time.

India takes on England in the opening match on Thursday and will clash with traditional rivals Pakistan in the first league encounter on December 14.“We have not played England recently,” Tendulkar said adding that he would have to see how the new English players perform.

Adam Hollioake, captain of the new-look team, said his squad was the “best limited-over England side in a long time” and was confident that they could take on the best.

Hollioake, who has figured in just five one-day matches and two Tests so far, did not feel his team would be overwhelmed by their more experienced rivals.

“This is a specialised one-day side with a lot of talent. The team is part of a long-term strategy to build a specialist outfit for the 1999 World Cup,” he told local reporters.

“I have full confidence in the abilities of the guys and since the wicket is going to be the same for everyone, there is no reason why we cannot win,” he said.

The England team has come here from Lahore, where they had some warm-up matches against the Pakistan `A’ squad.

The other members of the England squad are: Alistair Brown, Douglas Brown, Robert Croft, Mark Ealham, Ashley Giles, Mathew Fleming, Dean Headley, Graeme Hick, Ben Hollioake, Nick Knight, Peter Martin, Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe.