By Luke Bidwell
Keaton Jennings has described what has been a whirlwind 12 hours after receiving his first England call-up.
The left-hander has been added to Trevor Bayliss’ squad for the final two Test matches in India, where he will join up from the Lions camp in Dubai.
He replaces Haseeb Hameed in the squad after the young Lancashire batsman’s tour was cut short following a finger injury.
Jennings found out of his selection over a beer with Lions coach Andy Flower and struggled to put into words just how much the call from England selector James Whitaker had changed his life over the past 12 hours.
“I’m very happy, very chuffed, I had to pinch myself a couple of times last night to try and see if it was real or not,” Jennings said, speaking from his hotel room.
“I’m really chuffed and it almost felt surreal to get the call, get the nod to go to what is a very special place in India.
“It’s been a surreal six months, to be honest, and in the last 12 hours my whole world has been turned upside down, which is absolutely awesome.”
If selected, he faces the unenviable task of trying to help England rescue a draw from a position of 2-0 down in the series.
But he comes off the back of a record-breaking 2016 season and a tough training camp with England Lions, whom he will lead in the first two matches against the UAE before flying to India.
And the 24-year-old is confident a strong season and tough preparations with the Lions side can
“In sport, you need a bit of luck as well. You can always go out, get a couple of good balls and that’s your lot.
“I’ve also been blessed that the last two weeks has fastracked any sort of preparation.
“We’ve been put through a really hard regime in the last two weeks and we’re probably in the best position we could do.
“There’s been a lot of spin work done with Andy [Flower] & Graham Thorpe, so hopefully it holds me in good stead. There’s only one way to find if it’s worked and it’s been effective, but that’s part of the challenge as well in one of the hardest conditions.”
Listen to the full interview with Jennings below, where he discusses the reaction of his family & how his career has turned around over the last 12 months