Quick bowler says Macksville trip convinced him it was time to get back – and bring the same aggression
Harris ready to make return to Test cricket
Ryan Harris says he is fit – physically and mentally – to play the first Test and has vowed Australia will "definitely be maintaining our aggression" when they return to the cricket field.
Harris joined his Australia teammates at the funeral of Phillip Hughes in Macksville on Wednesday, an emotional experience that he says convinced him he was ready to play.
"Seeing the green and gold streamers was a reminder these people want to see some cricket played, want to see us get out there and beat the Indians," Harris wrote in a Fairfax Media column.
"One thing I noticed late on Wednesday was how the mood in the group had begun to shift. There were a few conversations about getting back to playing.
"The funeral was a bit of a milestone. As well as to pay your respects it gives you a bit of closure.
"We're going to have our mate in the back of our minds – there's no doubt about that – but when we walk out onto that ground we need to try and focus on our game thoughts, where we need to be to be ready to play.
"We'll definitely be maintaining our aggression; that's how we play well. That's what we do. That's the Australian way so we'll get back to doing that.
"It's what those people I walked past on Wednesday in the procession would want, and what they would expect."
However, Harris warned not all of his teammates were as ready to play as he was, and was unsure at this stage if Australia would be able to field a full-strength XI come Tuesday for the opening day of the Commonwealth Bank Test series against India.
"I know some guys have really struggled – some haven't even picked up a bat or ball yet since it happened," Harris wrote.
"They're just not going to know, until they pick a bat or ball up, whether or not they're going to be capable of playing."
Harris added that the knee surgery he had in March after Australia's Test series win in South Africa "is going really well – so well it's almost scary!"
"I'm in good shape… I don't have any doubts about my fitness," he added.