Fit again Samit Patel ready to fight for England Test spot

London, Mar. 13 (ANI): Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel is happy to be on his first Test tour, and is no longer willing to let concerns over his fitness stand in the way of his England ambitions.

For Patel, a Test call once appeared unlikely, with team director Andy Flower making no secret about his worries over the 27-year-old's weight and conditioning.

But Patel has made noticeable improvements in both departments over the last year and is under consideration for a Test debut in Galle on March 26, where his ability as a third spin option could come in handy.

He was the only member of the one-day squad that faced Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates to join the group of seven early arrivals in Sri Lanka last week - a fact that stands testament to his new-found willingness to meet England's exacting standards.

"I'm not frustrated. Fitness is a key factor and everyone has to work hard on their fitness - some more than others," The Independent quoted Patel, as saying ahead of the squad's first full training session in Colombo.

He added: "It's probably an issue that will stay with me. But the more work you do, the better you feel. It's a confidence thing, getting back into shape, and it's about doing the right things. Hopefully I'm doing the right things now."

Patel also accepts he may have to take on a greater workload than some of his team-mates to keep himself fit, but is ready to do so in order to fulfil his ambitions of becoming a Test player.

"Extra sessions are going to have to be done and you just have to get on with it," he said.

"One of my goals is to play Test cricket. I've always wanted to do that as well as one-day cricket. I want to play all formats for England. It's easy to get here, the toughest bit is staying in the squad and staying in the team," Patel said. (ANI)