'Test cricket is more important than one-day cricket - it's tougher' © Bipin Patel

He hasn't played a Test for India in over a year but, after his ebullient half-century against England Lions last week, Yuvraj Singh is confident that he will get his chance, even if it means waiting a little while longer.

"It's been frustrating," Yuvraj told reporters at Lord's ahead of the first Test against England on Thursday, "but you need to understand that the players before me have played a lot of cricket and deserve their place. My time will come and I will keep working on my game."

With the middle-order packed, Yuvraj will get a chance at Lord's only if India decide to saddle Dinesh Karthik with opening and keeping duties and drop Mahendra Singh Dhoni in his favour.

For a batsman who made such a barnstorming entry into one-day cricket, it comes as somewhat of a surprise to hear him rate Test cricket over its shorter counterpart. It is, he feels, the greater challenge of the two.

"The ball seams in a lot of places - you've got to make sure you know what's going to happen and prepare for it," he said. "Test cricket is more important than one-day cricket - it's tougher. When you do well in Tests [it makes] you feel confident in one-day cricket.

"In one place you get seam, in one place you get bounce and you've just got to prepare yourself for it."

Yuvraj and his team-mates will no doubt be quietly smiling that England's bounciest bowler, Steve Harmison, will play no part in the series after undergoing a hernia operation yesterday. And, if picked for his 20th Test, Yuvraj insists he is sufficiently prepared.

"I am pretty young at the moment, I believe in myself and I know I can make it to the big stage," he said. "Whatever game I play, I just need to go there and do my best. Any opportunity I get, I just have to go out there and perform.

"I've still to time on my side and I'm sure that in a couple of months or whatever time, I'm sure it will come."