Oct 23rd, 2017

Oct 23rd, 2017

Usman Khawaja has revealed the toll being dropped took on him as a player after he was left out of Australia's touring Test side in India and the second Test in Bangladesh.

A mainstay in the Test side on Australian shores, Khawaja has averaged 63 with the bat at home but has struggled overseas, only managing 27 runs per outing.

Khawaja told Wide World of Sports about the disappointment that left him with, saying that it hurt him to be watching from the stands.

"It was disappointing.

"I think the game, the selectors, things have changed a little bit from the past.

"The game's changed in a way too, but it was disappointing to be in the team then not to be in the team.

"As much as you try to understand the decision, it always hurts as a player, as every player knows, being dropped.

"It's never fun but at the end of the day you just want your teammates to do well. And hopefully I'll come back into the team, perform and do well and win an Ashes series, which is what it's all about."

KHAWAJA: 'I just want the opportunity to prove myself'

Khawaja wants more chances overseas

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But Khawaja is confident a Test recall is on the horizon for the home Ashes, and is positive that he is a part of the selectors' plans for the upcoming series against the Old Enemy.

"Absolutely, that's how I'm preparing.

"I'm pretty confident that the selectors already have their team in their mind which they've been preparing for the last couple of years or so.

"There's a reason why a couple of youngsters came in last year during that Adelaide Test match, because they're trying to prepare for this massive Ashes series coming up.

"And they've done well, in terms of Peter Handscomb and Matt Renshaw.

"We've got a pretty solid line-up."

Khawaja said that juggling playing overseas and in Australia was an issue many players struggled with, and that he believed more exposure to the conditions would be what he needed to get his game right.

"I've played a lot more in Australia. I think you'll find a lot of players that average a lot more in Australia than they do overseas.

"I haven't had a lot of opportunity to play overseas and consistently be able to play."

He said being dropped took a toll on his development as a player, and that certainty allowed him to play with more freedom.

"I've always sort of been in and out. I found that really tough early on in my Test career.

"When I was in and I felt like I was always playing for my spot.

"When I came in the last time, Boof just said 'look mate, you're playing for the whole summer'."

"I felt like that really helped me because I can just go out there and play.

"That's what I feel like right now every time we come back and play in Australia, and obviously it hasn't gone that way for me going overseas and playing in the sub-continent."

Khawaja insisted that with more exposure and opportunities he could prove himself as a valuable member of the side in all conditions.

"I love playing in Australia, but you can't get better, or improve as a cricketer or prove yourself unless you're getting opportunities.

"The little bit of opportunity that I have got I haven't done amazing at it either. I put my hand up for that.

"At the same time experience is the only thing that makes you a better cricketer."

The Ashes begins on November 23, live and exclusive on Channel Nine.