Ian Bell has always given the impression of a player who is struggling to come to terms with the weight of expectations on him. But this summer has offered a welcome change to the trend with Bell starting to do justice to his potential.   
Nobody has ever doubted Bell's ability to perform at the international level, but he was marked more as a classic Test batsman than an uncultured one-day basher. So it was natural that Bell's name did not ring along with players like Kevin Pietersen.  
But in the first three matches of the NatWest series against India, Bell proved that you need not be a swaggering, gum chewing bully to amass runs in the abridged version. His 269 runs from three matches so far have come at an average of 134.50 and it also helped his career averages to move close to 40, a benchmark of good one-day batsman.
Quashing doubts
The Warwickshire batsman had also scored his maiden one-day hundred in the first match at Southampton to finally quash all the doubts over his ability to adapt to the one-day format.
"As soon as you have done it once, you feel you can get over it again. People were talking about me not getting one.
“So although I tried not to let it bother me, it was something I was fully aware of. Questions were being asked and maybe this week has silenced a few critics. Now it is off my mind, hopefully I can move on and play a long time for England," Bell said.
Bell's forte is his measured way on the crease which is not to let  slip a good start. That careful attitude makes him an ideal batsman at number three capable of setting the tempo and guiding the team through the middle overs.
"I was given the first opportunity this summer to bat number three by Peter Moores and I could see then there were a lot of people fighting for that place. I hope I have made it my own by what I have done in this series so far," Bell said.
Now, he hopes to follow the foot steps of his role model, Ricky Ponting. "There is no doubt that Australia set the benchmark for one-day cricket and Ponting does it time after time. Consistency is what sets people apart in world cricket.
“Picking the right options at the right time is something that makes Ponting the person I want to emulate," he said.
The England team management was not wrong in persisting with Bell, who in this series has showed a remarkable determination to overcome the odds. He was rated vulnerable to spin, but Bell tackled the Indian spin duo – Ramesh Powar and Piyush Chawla – with aplomb.
Flower’s role
Now, without a modicum of doubt, the kingpin status has shifted to Bell from Pietersen as the latter has struggled to put away the Indian spinners.
But Bell attributed the credit to England's batting coach Andy Flower. The Zimbabwean himself had scored tons of runs against India during his playing days.
"Andy was one of the best players when he was playing, and so he has been invaluable to talk to. He knows the psyche of international batsmen well. One thing I have spoken to him about is how Ponting has done it. It is not just about batting, but the way he prepares, the way he imposes himself on the opposition, everything," he said. It might not be a surprise altogether to trace a touch of the Australian captain in the way Bell faced the Indian tweakers.
There was that busy footwork, and an eagle eye for the gaps to go with his aggressive methods. His level of comfort was evident when he stepped outside the leg stump to hoist leg-spinner Piyush Chawla for a straight six.
‘Confident’
"I feel more confident in my ability to play at this level and at the minute I feel in pretty good form. When you feel like that, it is about picking the right ball and going for it. That is what Colly (Paul Collingwood) and Moores are desperate for us players to do.
“If you know there is an option, go for it hundred per cent with no fear of failure. If it doesn't come off, they are not going to worry about it," Bell explained his approach.
Bell still has to traverse some more miles to become England's Mr Dependable, but his recent performances portends to only one way.