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Peter Handscomb upbeat on Australia Test recall chances with India tour looming

image-l8w8shz4Peter Handscomb (PC: Twitter)

Victoria's captain Peter Handscomb has said that he is hopeful for an Australian comeback after a brilliant Sheffield Shield season.

Often regarded as one of the better players of spin bowling, Handscomb was part of the four-match Test tour of India in 2016-17, which Australia lost by 2-1. The Victorian scored 198 runs in four Tests at an average of 28.29, including a match-saving 72* in the third Test in Ranchi. Out of the 16 Tests, six Test appearances have come in the sub-continent against India and Bangladesh. Despite doing well in first-class cricket Handscomb has been overlooked by the Australian selectors ever since the emergence of Marnus Labuschagne.

Speaking on the Vic State Cricket Podcast, Handscomb, who played the last of his 16 Tests against India in Sydney in January 2019, stated that his primary target is to be on the plane to India, where Australia will compete in four Tests in February-March 2023. He admitted that the Test side's strength has made it hard to find a spot.

Handscomb desperate to make his comeback

"My aim is still to be on that Test tour to India, even if it's just as a backup. It's something that I'm pushing for that's for sure; I'm still talking to George Bailey and getting a feel for what I need to do, but ultimately it's to make runs," Peter Handscomb said on the Vic State Cricket Podcast.

The Victorian was the leading run-getter in the Sheffield Shield 2021-22 season with 697 runs in eight games at an average of 49.78 with two centuries and three fifties.

Handscomb insists that there have been some great players who started their careers late, but they still contributed for good at the highest level.

“Mike Hussey debuted at 30 and had a pretty good Test career and even Chris Rogers started playing again at 35 and played for a couple of years, so it’s definitely not out of the realms to play again,” Handscomb added.

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