Ravi Bopara is more determined than ever to succeed in an England shirt.
After being recalled for the ongoing one-day series against Sri Lanka the 29-year-old has so far responded with back-to-back half-centuries.
Both innings have underlined the maturity of a player who has now made 110 ODI appearances for his country and, after being overlooked for the summer-ending series against India, he admits he is hungry for more.
"I've been dropped many times - and every time you do get dropped, you do get that little bit stronger; you have a little bit more hunger, and you're more determined,” he said. "It’s pushed me a bit further in my game.”
Spurred on to regain his place ahead of the World Cup, Bopara knuckled down to work on his game after the summer and the rewards appear to be paying off.
“I’m in a good place right now,” he said.
"I worked quite hard in the month we had off – it wasn’t really a month off.
“I knew I had to work very hard, because I'd just got back to be selected again (for this series in Sri Lanka) and I had to perform to keep myself in.”
While Bopara’s form has offered a positive, England find themselves 2-0 down in the series following yesterday’s eight-wicket defeat in Colombo.
After falling just 25 runs short in the opener– which was played on the same pitch at the R Premadasa Stadium – the change in fortunes was stark.
Bopara believes that was down to England’s failure to identify conditions quickly enough – a lesson he says they will take away with them as they make the trip south for the third ODI in Hambantota on Wednesday.
“We were outplayed. I don’t think we adjusted to the conditions very well,” he said.
“Although we played on the same pitch it wasn’t the ‘same’ pitch.
"We played on a very fresh, good pitch the first time round. Three days later, it was a bit drier, little bit more turn, a bit slower. We know that we have to adjust to conditions quickly over here. The pitches can vary.
“Yesterday, really, we should have noticed that from the first over, even the second over, that this is a completely different pitch.
“If we can go into our next few games adjusting early, making a plan and actually doing it then I feel very confident that we can go on and win.”