New Zealander Ross Taylor admits he started doubting himself following his horror batting display at the Gabba earlier this month, but he's confident those demons have been terminated courtesy of his record showing in Perth.
Taylor posted the highest Test score by a visiting batsman in Australia when he made 290 in the second Test on Monday at the WACA Ground.
The 31-year-old was last man out in NZ's knock of 624, helping the visitors build a handy 65-run lead in a match they need to win to have any hope of securing a series victory.
Taylor was horribly out of form in the first Test loss to Australia at the Gabba, with his lack of foot work evident during his seven-ball duck in the first innings.
The former Test skipper showed more fight in the second innings on the way to 26, but he was still under immense pressure to perform heading into the WACA Test.
Taylor responded to the selection pressure in the grandest way possible, facing 374 deliveries in the searing Perth heat to put Australia's bowlers to the sword.
The veteran batsman said it was a knock he needed to have after his belief took a battering in the series opener.
"After the way I batted in Brisbane, I was pretty rusty and all over the show," Taylor told ABC radio.
"I needed to get back into the groove. My feet weren't really moving.
"It played a little bit on my mind. You start questioning yourself, and little doubts start creeping in. So it was nice to get rid of those.
"I trained the house down leading into the Brisbane game, and the results didn't show.
"I came into this game not putting too much expectation on myself.
"I probably had a net for about half-an-hour, and it was nice not to think about it too much and just go out and express myself."
Taylor celebrated his century and double ton by sticking out his tongue for an extended period.
It has become his trademark celebration over the years, and he revealed the practice first started as a cheeky dig at selectors in reaction to being dropped from the one-day side early in his career.
But it has since developed into a fun joke within his family.
"My daughter's loved it ever since," Taylor said.
"And she keeps saying, 'Daddy, can you put your tongue out?'.
"She understands what a hundred means. She couldn't quite understand why dad pulled the tongue out twice yesterday, though."
Taylor's revival is even more remarkable considering he missed almost two months of cricket earlier this year after undergoing testicular surgery following a training mishap.
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