Nic Maddinson credits a return to his aggressive nature as the reason he's shot into contention for an Ashes middle order spot.
Long-touted a potential Test star, Maddinson first entered the spotlight when he became the youngest NSW player to score a first class century, blasting 113 in his debut match.
He also made an impact in his international debut, blasting a quickfire 34 in Australia's Twenty20 loss to India in Rajkot on Thursday.
But last year he endured his most difficult first class season since debuting as an 18-year-old, when poor form saw him relegated to the NSW second XI early in the season.
A change in NSW's coaching structure led to him reuniting with his junior batting coach, Trent Woodhill, before Christmas last year - which he feels may have turned his career around.
Maddinson didn't change anything related to his technique - with Woodhill concentrating on his approach to the game.
"I'd gone away from my natural strengths," Maddinson told AAP.
"For a young cricketer it's hard to find the balance of being aggressive and still being consistent.
"I think I went away from what had served me well in the past and what had got me to that level.
"I went back to an old coach and just worked on being quite aggressive again.
"It helps when you're looking to score runs rather than worrying about getting out.
"That's just my natural game and the way I play and the way for me to be very successful."
The move garnered immediate results, with Maddinson unleashing his full array of strokes in a timely 154 against Tasmania to finish the Sheffield Shield season strongly.
He carried that form into an Australia A tour, scoring 181 against Gloucestershire while also posting scores of 88 and 90 in a match against South Africa A.
That form was rewarded with his international debut in front of 30,000 screaming fans in Rajkot.
"It's something I'll never forget," Maddinson adds.
"For a 21-year-old to walk out in front of a crowd in India and get to represent Australia ... It's something I've wanted to do since I was five or six."
Australia's batting lineup ahead of the opening Test of the summer at the Gabba is far from settled, but Maddinson feels that talk of a call-up for himself is premature.
"Obviously it's a good thing to have people say (I'm in the mix)," he said.
"But I think the teams that we've picked over the past six to 12 months have been our best teams.
"I think you've got to go out and be the leading runscorer in Shield cricket for years on end and work your way into the side that way."
