“It was about 12 months ago – to nearly the day – that I got dropped. Twelve months down the track I feel like I'm in a better place now,” shared Hughes.
Hughes was named in the Test squad against Sri Lanka after the veteran, Ricky Ponting, announced his retirement following the Perth Test against Sri Lanka. Having scored 524 runs this domestic season to back his case, Hughes was preferred over Alex Doolan, Usman Khawaja and Rob Quiney in the replacement race.
Having gotten out four consecutive times by edging the ball into slips last summer, against New Zealand, Hughes is likely to face severe criticism if he repeats his mistakes against Sri Lanka, a concern shared by his teammate and opener Ed Cowan.
However, making a comeback in the side on the same venue where he played his last Test, Hughes feels, “It is a lot different. I hit probably 70 to 80 per cent of my scores on the off side. I feel now that I've got both sides of the field covered. I feel now that [the changes], in all forms, have really opened up my leg [side]. It's just easier when they do both straight that I can work off my hip and into the leg side.”
Standing third on the domestic rankings for batsmen, the 24-year-old intends to get in and score big in the Test series as well.
Talking after the first training session ahead of the series, Hughes reflected upon his hard work to earn back the spot in the playing XI. Formerly reliant on cuts between third man and cover to score, Hughes shared that now he was a much more rounded player.
Although ready to play at any number on the card, Hughes is likely to slot in at number 3 after Australian coach Mickey Arthur revealed that vice captain Shane Watson would go down to Ponting’s place in the order.
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