Hughes reaps the rewards

Hughes endured a horror series, scoring just 147 runs at an average of 18.38, that led to questions on everything from his ability to play spin to his future in the Test team.

But the 24-year-old says he feels more comfortable in his game after making some alterations - as evidenced by his improved showing against the World Cup and Champions Trophy winners.

"The Test series wasn't as successful as we'd liked, losing the series 4-0 was extremely disappointing," Hughes said.

"...When we lost the Test series 4-0 that was very disappointing and we sat down and spoke about things where we could improve.

"...It's a different format but there's a couple of things I've picked out of the Test series I took home and worked on.

"That was the first time I'd toured India in the international scene.

"There were a couple of things I've definitely worked on the last couple of months, knowing that if I had a chance of coming back here (I wanted to be ready).

"It's a nice thing to tour and come back and get a couple of runs on the board."

Hughes' composed showings in the one-day format have reignited his hopes of a Test recall, after being dumped two Tests into the Ashes in England.

Former Test captain Ricky Ponting is one who is eager to not only see Hughes return to the Test team, but be given an extended run.

In his past 17 Test innings, Hughes has batted in four different positions - and is increasingly seen as the easy fall guy.

That has at times rattled the young left-hander's confidence, which is why the support of a respected voice like Ponting means so much.

"It's great when a great player of Ricky's calibre comes out and says that and supports you," he said.

"It's fantastic feeling."