"It's all come as a bit of a surprise," Ballance told British media.
"It's a great feeling to be back in the squad, especially when you've been out of the side for a while.
"I was just doing a bit of grocery shopping when I got the call from national selector James Whitaker - just a standard Thursday morning!"
Should the left-handed batsman make his first test start in 12 months at Lord's on Thursday, Ballance is likely to slot into the middle order rather than at number three.
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He is hopeful that his modest domestic season could translate into bigger numbers for England.
"I've felt good the last few weeks," Ballance added.
"I've been playing well, I just haven't got that big score that gets you noticed."
(Reporting by Nivedita Shankar in Bengaluru; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
