The first Sikh in the England cricket team, Madhusuden Singh Panesar, better known as Monty Panesar, has joined a growing list of players with origins in the Indian subcontinent to play cricket for England.

He was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, on April 25, 1982. Over the years, he slowly but surely graduated from playing cricket with fellow Asians in Luton's parks to county cricket for Northamptonshire, spinning his way to the notice of England selectors.

Some recent England players of Indian origin have been Nasser Hussain, who was born in Chennai, Mark Ramprakash, Shane Udal and Vikram Solanki.

England cricketers hope that Panesar, now 23, will be England's counter to India's 'turbanator' Harbhajan Singh on spinner-friendly pitches during the India tour in March. Drawing inspiration from Indian legend Bishen Singh Bedi, he has foxed many a batsman on the county circuit.

He has already been hailed as one of the next generation of spinners of English cricket, particularly when Ashley Giles is ageing at 33 and Shane Udal not being impressive at the highest levels of cricket.

Panesar is a Loughborough Sports Scholar and has impressed many with his slow orthodox spin during his first class debut against Leicestershire with an eight for 131 haul.

Panesar says one of his earliest cricketing memories is studying a frame-by- frame breakdown in a coaching manual of Bedi in action. He first learnt his cricket with people of Indian origin in Luton, and then joined an all-Indian team in the Hertfordshire League.

His prowess with spin is acknowledged but to improve his chances of selection, Panesar also focussed on batting and fielding. When he toured India in 2001 as part of the Under-19 team, Wisden described his batting and fielding as an embarrassment.

Wrote Simon Wilde in The Sunday Times: "At a time when England's stock of spin bowling talent is at an all-time low, somebody as young and talented as Panesar, whose long fingers can really turn the ball, cannot be ignored for long."

Panesar admits his weaknesses in batting and fielding, but says he has been working on them with much passion.

"I've been nightwatchman for Northants and last season I scored 39 not out against Worcestershire when Shoaib Akhtar and Matt Mason were bowling, which was pleasing."

To firm up his mental preparedness for cricket at the highest level, Panesar turned to a guru of the Nanaksar sect of Sikhism to get a better perspective of life. He spent a month at a Nanaksar farm near Edmonton in Canada, helping with the harvest and was inspired by a sense of community.

"To go to Canada and meet the master was fantastic, the defining moment in my life. He told me to go home and concentrate on the cricket, to go full whack and give it my passion. That's what I aim to do. He has really motivated me.

"Now I've met the master, I'm not worrying about the past or the future, I'm living in the moment," he says.