The Phone Call that Surprised New Captain Josh Inglis

It’s been an eventful month for Josh Inglis! After scoring two centuries in the Sheffield Shield, Inglis was given the responsibility of leading Australia’s ODI team. He has also taken on the captaincy of Australia’s T20 team, with the series starting today. A white-ball specialist, the wicketkeeper-batter's recent inclusion in Australia's Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy came as a surprise—even to Inglis himself.

In-form wicketkeeper Josh Inglis was genuinely stunned to receive the call-up to Australia’s Test squad for the opening match of the Border-Gavaskar series. Over the past month, he has achieved milestones that he perhaps never expected. His inclusion in the squad caught many by surprise, including Inglis.

At 29 years old, Inglis is Australia’s 14th T20I captain and 30th ODI captain. He made his captaincy debut in the final ODI against Pakistan. Inglis will also lead Australia in the upcoming T20 series, which begins today in Brisbane. Amidst all these accomplishments, he received an unexpected call-up to the historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He was contacted by head coach Andrew McDonald, who informed him that he would be needed in Perth for the first Test, starting on November 22.

Inglis was thrilled upon hearing the news. Speaking to the Unplayable Podcast, he shared, “I honestly hadn’t thought much about the Test squad. We had the ODI series, and I was focusing more on that, plus the upcoming T20 series and the captaincy. So, I hadn’t given much thought to the Test series. Then, Ronnie (Andrew McDonald) called me that night to let me know. It was definitely a great phone call.”

Although Inglis has been named in the 13-player squad for the Perth Test, it’s unlikely that he will open the batting. A bold decision to replace Alex Carey with Inglis as the opener would be a major surprise. As it stands, it’s expected that Inglis and Scott Boland will remain as reserves for the series.