Faulkner looking forward to competitive series

But, there is a distinct charm in interacting with James Faulkner. His face bears an unmistakable grin and his voice resonates with candour even while replying to queries that most others find discomfiting. Albeit upset, he was not looking to absolve himself of the need to buck up after receiving the news of his omission from the Champions Trophy squad. Nor was he willing to portray himself as a victim of circumstance. 

“It was tough to deal with not being picked. No player likes to get dropped. I have had a four-month break and concentrated on my fitness. The gap was more of a pre-season. I spent the time resting and hitting the gym,” said the 27-year-old, who is in India as part of the touring Australian team for a bilateral ODI and T20 series. There is also no false modesty about him when he says he is not the only player in the Australian team to possess the X factor. “There are a lot of players in the current team with the X factor. They can turn the match on its head with both bat and ball. We need to acclimatise to the conditions and we have had two intense training sessions. 

There is no rotation policy in our team and since there is a change in format to the Tests in Bangladesh, we had to change a few personnel. The inclusion of new faces will freshen up our squad,” added Faulkner. More than the reporters’ probing into his dip in form, it was the notorious muggy weather of Chennai that turned up the heat on the all-rounder. But still, there was to be no vanishing of that smile. 

“We are looking forward to the warm-up game against Board President’s XI. The conditions are really tough in Chennai. It’s extremely hot but all the boys love playing here. We share a good rivalry with India and we can’t wait for the series to get started,” said the man of the match winning player in last World Cup final. 

Asked if he received any feedback from the selectors about the areas he needed to focus on during his time away from the team, the Tasmanian said his pace dropped down a bit and he was asked to work on his variations. 

“My training regimen changed. I was reflecting on the various aspects that help one get better during the downtime,” signed off Faulkner.