Keaton Jennings has earned a third shot at Test cricket after being recalled by England for the upcoming tour of Pakistan.
Jennings has had two previous stints in England's Test side, scored 781 runs at an average of 25.19. And, in an interview with BBC Sport, he says his latest recall "feels like a debut again".
The 30-year-old has been rewarded with a call-up after finishing as the leading run scorer in Division One of the County Championship with 1,233 runs at 72.52. He is expected to compete with Ben Duckett for the chance to open alongside Zak Crawley against Pakistan after Alex Lees was axed.
And Jennings says he is a 'very different human being' since his last stint with England and is ready to put his previous struggles behind him. "In 2019 [when he was dropped for a second time] it was pre-pandemic, pre-lockdowns and before I went through graduating," he added, having now completed a Masters degree in business.
"As a human being I've changed a lot. That has a knock-on effect to my cricket. It's given a good perspective on the game.
"The human being that goes to Pakistan will be very different to the one that toured the West Indies a couple of years ago." He also has an impressive record in Asia, where he averages 44.44 and scored both of his Test centuries.
"As a player you feel the intensity and pressure of international cricket," Jennings said. "My debut went nicely, then there was an extended period until the next Test and I hadn't had a great start to the season.
"Little doubts creep in, you panic, then you face Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel on some spicy pitches. The battering you take, it creates little scars.
"When I got the call this time, I didn't have any of that. I think that's down to being older, having some perspective and being in a very different place as a person."
