Australian opener Nathan McSweeney is determined to 'show everyone what I can do' as the second Test against India kicks off in Adelaide on Friday. The 25-year-old faced the spotlight during his debut for Australia in the first Test of the five-match series last month in Perth.
McSweeney, who had only opened once before at first-class level, scored 10 and nought as India dominated, winning by 295 runs. Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was the main threat to both McSweeney and the Australian team.
'I got two pretty good balls over there in Perth, so I'm not trying to dwell on it too much and look forward to Adelaide,' McSweeney told Cricket Australia's media arm.
He added, 'I've played well out here, and it's my home ground,' referring to the Adelaide Oval, which will host the day-night second Test. 'So I'm looking forward to getting in front of a home crowd and most importantly, a wicket that I've played heaps of cricket on and that I know really well.'
McSweeney earned his spot to open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja in Perth due to his strong start to the domestic season. Two of his six career Sheffield Shield centuries have come at the Adelaide Oval, and he averages just over 43 in first-class games there, according to Cricket Australia.
He acknowledges that the 'pink ball is a little bit new to me'. 'But we'll be training here under lights a few times this week. So we've got some prep to do and I feel like I missed out last match, but my game's still in a good spot.'
McSweeney added, 'If I can make sure I nail my prep and then spend some time in the middle, I can take great confidence from that. The beauty of this series is you don't have to wait too long to get another opportunity, so definitely take some learnings from Perth and hopefully execute what I want to do here in Adelaide. It's another opportunity for me to go out there and show everyone what I can do.'
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