Rory Burns was always confident England Test call-up would come

Rory Burns says he always had faith that England recognition would come one day as he prepares to make his long-awaited Test debut.

The 28-year-old Surrey captain is expected to replace the retired Alastair Cook at the top of England's batting order for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, which begins on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports.

Burns - who was far and away the County Championship's leading run-scorer last season - had been overlooked by the national selectors until now despite his consistent record in domestic cricket.

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"When you start playing cricket as a young lad, it's where you want to end up, playing for your country, so I'm excited that could potentially be in prospect," Burns told Sky Sports.

"I always thought I'd eventually get there and put my name in the hat enough to do it. I never lost belief - I just kept trying to punch out my numbers and knew that at some stage I'd get over the line.

"I was disappointed at certain times not to get England Lions call-ups or that sort of stuff. It was basically extra motivation for me to go back and improve, hopefully an opportunity would come up and I'd be able to take it.

"It's only human nature to think about it, but in reality county seasons are long and if you punch out your numbers over an extended period, you're going to get the nod at some stage."

Burns is likely to find himself facing a volume and variety of spin bowling beyond his experience at Surrey, with veteran left-armer Rangana Herath leading the Sri Lanka attack in his final Test.

However, the left-hander is unfazed by the prospect, revealing he has sought advice from Surrey colleagues - including South Africa's Dean Elgar and former Sri Lanka star Kumar Sangakkara - on how best to handle the conditions.

"I had a few chats with Dean Elgar when he was over in the summer, and obviously Sanga," said Burns. "But I think he might be working as a double agent these days, with a Sri Lanka hat on rather than a Surrey one!

"He's been a massive influence on that dressing room and on me personally. If you're doing something Sanga's going to do, you're probably picking the right options.

"There's been a lot of media speculation about trial by spin and that sort of stuff - if that happens it's just the challenge you've got to focus on. It's about having your game-plan in your head for that moment.

"If there's a seamer at the end of his mark and it's the first ball, what are you trying to do? I don't think it's any different when it comes to spin, you just flip your game-plan."

Watch the first Test between England and Sri Lanka live on Sky Sports Cricket on Tuesday, November 6 from 4am.