Keaton Jennings said his was a dream-come-true century, on his debut.
“Waking up this morning, if someone said to me ‘you will get a Test match hundred’, I suppose, I’d have put them off,” said Jennings.
“I woke up at 5 this morning thinking I’d miss the bus. So jumped out of bed, packed everything, settled myself down, and then I saw the time.”
“It’s been a dream come true... surreal that it (the century) has come on debut,” Jennings said.
The excerpts from Jennings’s press-conference:
The reprieve early in his innings: It was a bit like a tennis ball with the new ball; you really don’t know how to play at it or get under it at the start.
Thankfully, it kind of hit [Karun Nair’s] hand and got out.
When the ball lifted up to gully my heart was in my mouth and just thought ‘you got a nought in your first innings!’ But thankfully it went to ground.
You go through the process of going through each ball at a time. You try to put out of your mind what happened before.
DRS on the LBW appeal against him: I thought it was close, but when it got given ‘not out’, I thought it might have kept outside the line. I knew I hadn’t hit it first.
Thankfully, the decision went in my way.
The reverse sweep: It’s a shot that I have played fairly successfully over the last six to eight months.
I looked at the scoreboard (when on 96) and thought ‘well, rather than get out caught at first slip defending, I should try and get the hundred.’ (Jennings got to his century with the stroke).
Cook’s words before facing Ashwin: He was trying to give me a feel of what he went through facing Ashwin before. We knew it wasn’t going to rag straight away, so I was trying more to get a feel of what pace he’s going to bowl, how he’s going to try to get you out.
Ashwin is one of the best bowlers in the world. I think his average against left-handers was 18 when we walked up to bat. You don’t get stats like that from not knowing what you are doing. You try and come up with a game plan against him and try and back yourself and your technique and process to combat him.
Competition for the opener’s slot: Thankfully, it’s not my problem. Hopefully I can keep going the way I have gone today, and make it a good problem.
It’s out of my hands, and it’s not controllable by me. If I play two Tests, one Test, whatever in my career, hopefully I can make them two happy Tests.
Test atmosphere: The atmosphere was incredible. When you arrive at the ground with police escort, it’s little bit surreal.
We had a chat in November with Graeme Swann and Mark Wood, and they highlighted the fact that Test cricket isn’t miles away from First Class cricket.
You try and take a little bit of heart from the guys that have played and what they say.
Then just try and do the same things you have done in the last six-eight months, and have little bit of success.
