"I was kind of surprised because to get back in the Test side usually people have to go back to your county and perform to be considered."
Friday 27 July 2018 07:42, UK
Leg-spinner Adil Rashid says he's surprised by his recall to England's Test squad after making the "tough decision" to make himself available.
The 30-year-old was named in a 13-man squad for the five-Test series - live on Sky Sports from Wednesday - despite quitting red-ball cricket for a season last winter.
Rashid won the last of his 10 Test caps away to India in Chennai more than 18 months ago but could play his first home Test at Edgbaston next week - the 1,000th Test in England men's history.
The Yorkshire all-rounder admitted he had not been expecting national selector Ed Smith to pick him given his lack of first-class cricket this summer.
"After the ODIs there was a discussion that me and Ed had, just regarding - you know - how you feel about playing, or being part of the squad, this summer against India," he told Sky Sports News.
"So obviously I had to think about it, considering I hadn't played red-ball game for a little while; but this opportunity I couldn't buy at it - I had to think about it and make a decision.
"I said 'I'll make myself available' and if you guys want to select me in the squad then I'll come and try my best.
"It was definitely a tough decision and obviously I was kind of surprised because to get back in the Test side usually people have to go back to your county and perform to be considered.
"But me, Ed Smith and a few others had a chat and they were thinking that if I could be made available and do whatever the job is in the team - to be attacking or whatever - we'd be happy for you to be in the squad. That was something I had to think about and I've made that decision to be made available."
Rashid's return comes following an impressive run in limited-overs cricket under skipper Eoin Morgan and a commitment, to Smith, that he will commit long-term to Test cricket.
Although fellow spinners Dom Bess and Jack Leach were overlooked for the squad - Smith citing their lack of red-ball cricket - Rashid rejected the idea his lack of game-time puts more pressure on him.
He said: "My role, hopefully, going into the team would be as it was for the ODIs and T20s - as how Morgs uses me. It will be exactly the same but with a red ball.
"It will be to come in and try to take wickets, create chances - that'll be your job because if you do play two spinners, the other spinner can maybe look to keep it under twos or threes and my job will be to create the chances and hopefully get wickets."
Rashid's contract with Yorkshire is up at the end of this season and he admits playing red-ball cricket is something that will have to be discussed - but would not rule out playing elsewhere in 2019.
"Going back to Yorkshire that's something we need to sit down and discuss about the future," he said. "But for now obviously Yorkshire have got the news and from there Yorkshire, England and myself are dealing with the situation as it is.
"Moving forward I know that if I want to be available for Test cricket, I need to be playing red-ball cricket. When that time comes I'm sure we'll sit down and make a decision. If the opportunity is there then I'll try my best to play four-day cricket as well.
"I've been here [Yorkshire] now since I was 10 years old so this is home for me; you know how things can change but hopefully we've got to sit down with Martyn Moxon and myself and my dad, and whoever, and have a chat about the future because things and people's mindsets and feelings always change as they go on, so let's see what happens."
Watch the five-Test series between England and India live on Sky Sports Cricket, starting with the opener, at Edgbaston, at 10am on Wednesday.
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