Renshaw not thinking about India, hoping to make good impression against SA

Sydney, Jan 2 (PTI) Happy to be back in the Australian scheme of things after nearly five years, Test cricketer Matt Renshaw says he will try to make a “good impression” if he is selected for the third Test against South Africa at Sydney beginning on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old left-hand bat has not donned the Baggy Green since the sandpaper episode in 2018. He has so far played 11 Tests with a highest score of 184.

But injuries to key players — all-rounder Cameron Green and pace bowler Mitchell Starc — have seen him being drafted into the squad for the final Test against the Proteas.

Renshaw has come back into reckoning on the back of strong performances for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield and a century for the Prime Minister’s XI against the West Indies in November.

“I think just the Sydney Test for me, it’s a nice inclusion being included in the last Test of the summer before a couple of away tours,” Renshaw was quoted as saying by SEN on Monday.

Renshaw indicated he was not looking as far as the four-Test series against India beginning early February, saying he would like to just concentrate on the immediate task.

“As I know in cricket, I’ve learnt a lot that you can never count your chickens. So just keep trying to do what I can when I get into the group… and make a good impression and help as much as I can if I’m not playing,” said Renshaw.

Pointing out that he had a good chance of clicking in Sydney, the batter said that a few technical changes he had made recently had given him confidence.

“Yeah, definitely. I had a couple of technical changes post that break (of five years), just trying to work on a few of things that I felt were struggling during the season, but I found it tough to change my technique during the season, he said.

“So I waited until the off-season, changed a couple of things and just tried to embed that down.

Renshaw added the biggest gain when he was not in Australia reckoning was strengthening his resolve.

“I think the big one for me is my mindset, the way I go about my batting, the way I go about my cricket is probably the biggest change for me over the last couple of years. I think I’ve come a long way as a person and a cricketer,” he said.

Making his Test debut in 2016, the batter averages 33.47 with the bat, with his highest individual score of 184 coming against Pakistan at Sydney in 2017.

“As most 20-year-olds in normal work and life are, it’s a tough old thing (to be in that national team environment). But to be thrust in front of the world and the media and all that stuff that comes along with playing for Australia, that’s the part I probably didn’t really acknowledge at the time (in 2016-17).”