Batting prodigy Will Pucovski is confident he's equipped for the rigours of Test cricket, having earned a shock Australian call-up after seeking treatment for a mental health issue.
Pucovski, 20, has been named in Australia's 13-man squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka in a stunning ascent after just eight first-class games.
The Victorian has been on national selectors' radar since he plundered 650 runs at 162.50 in the national under-19 championships - an achievement he quickly followed by making his first-class debut in the Sheffield Shield.
Pucovski was ruled out of Shield action and revealed to be battling a mental health-related illness in October, days after scoring 243 against Western Australia.
Three months later he is on the cusp of his Test debut, having made his Shield return against WA last month.
Pucovski has worked closely with mindfulness coach Emma Murray and is confident the investment in his mental health will help him to handle the pressures of Test cricket.
"I'm feeling really good, as good as I have felt in a really long time," he told reporters.
"It's one of those things where it is a day-by-day proposition for me that I have to manage. I think it is a good thing to invest time in.
"I am meditating every morning, which I honestly never really believed in until (Murray) got me on to it and things like that have helped me turn things around.
"I was able to play that Shield game and loved every minute of it. I feel like I am back in action."
Along with Joe Burns, Matthew Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne, Pucovski will press his case for Test selection in next week's tour game against Sri Lanka.
The fixture will provide a valuable chance for Pucovski - whose only other taste of day-night cricket came during a tour game against England last summer - to acclimatise to the pink ball that will be used during the first Test in Brisbane.
Pucovski was at club training on Tuesday night when the name of national selection chairman Trevor Hohns flashed up on his phone, delivering news that came considerably earlier in his career than he had been expecting.
"My heart probably skipped a few beats," he said.
"If I get a game it'd be amazing and if not, it'd still be awesome to be part of the squad. Either way, I'm a pretty happy 20-year-old kid today."
