Young Jennings a match for anyone

South African-born Keaton Jennings, 24, admitted his head was spinning after his call-up to join the England tour to India capped a remarkable 12 months that has seen him rise from Durham second XI to the verge of a Mumbai test.

Jennings, who replaces injured Haseeb Hameed, will arrive in India tomorrow from the England Lions tour to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and could open the batting in the fourth test next week with Alastair Cook.

This time last year, Jennings returned home to South Africa having lost his place in the Durham first team and wondering where his career would go next.

While in South Africa, he worked with his father, former South Africa coach Ray Jennings, on his batting and his mental approach with his uncle, who is a sports psychologist, and returned to Durham last summer ending the season as the highest run-scorer in county cricket.

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"Andy Flower told me on Tuesday night. It was a lot to take in, and very exciting. And then telling my family and the guys at Durham has been emotional," Jennings said.

"My mum was in tears and my dad was speechless, and they're two things that don't happen very often.

"I need to have a coffee, get my head around everything that's happened. To be honest, I wouldn't know what day it is at the moment, everything has been such a whirlwind.

But the plan is for me to play the first two games against UAE, then maybe have a net the day after, and then fly to India."

Jennings captained SA Under-19 before moving to England in 2012. His mother is from Sunderland and he served a four-year residency to qualify to play for England, but that seemed a dream as he battled for consistency in county cricket.

A tall left-hander, Jennings is by his own admission a "crablike" batsman occupying the crease, but he added shots to his game last summer and the positive approach paid off with seven centuries, including two doubles, in 1568 runs.

Geoff Cook, the former Durham academy director, told The Telegraph: "It has come from nowhere really.

He could not get a game in the first team at the end of the season [2015] but the change we saw last summer reflects him as a person.

He came back this year at the different end of the mental scale and you need that as a test cricketer.

"You need to be able to cope and adapt mentally. His career was going nowhere. He put some thought into it in a constructive way and he came back different and that ability could well serve him in test cricket.

"You could not come across a more conscientious cricketer. He was always very bowlable to in previous years but he came back with more positive intent and ended up having a great season.

He has two tests in India to set up an England place for next summer, which would make his county largely irrelevant

"He is not the most natural of cricketers or athletes, but he will be a match for anyone in terms of attitude and commitment. It is fantastic that it has been rewarded this way for the work he has put in."

Jennings is doing an accountancy degree and told All Out Cricket magazine recently that his ambition is one day to become chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association.

If his England career takes off, he might not have to worry about passing his finals.

He does not have an agent, and renegotiated his new four-year contract at Durham himself. He was savvy enough to insert a get-out clause in case of relegation, and following Durham's demotion is now one of the most sought-after signatures in cricket.

Ian Botham, the Durham chairman, has spoken to Jennings and is hopeful he can persuade him to stay at the club.

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He has two tests in India to set up an England place for next summer, which would make his county largely irrelevant.

Hameed will slot back in to open with Cook when he is fit, but a space at three could open up for Jennings if he plays in Mumbai and Chennai and does well.

The move to three has not worked out for Joe Root as he would have liked, and moving back down to four will happen if England can find another top-three batsman.

As a left-hander, Jennings faces a monumental task in India.

Ravichandran Ashwin is averaging 18.83 against left-handers in this series, 82.33 to right-handers.

It has been proved this winter that runs in county cricket and a reputation for being able to play spin in England count for nothing once a player has to bat here against the world's best spinners.

Ben Duckett confidently told everyone before the start of this winter that a tour to Asia would suit his strengths.

Ashwin unpicked his technique in an instant and now he has three weeks of nets and mixing drinks to contemplate.

The Daily Telegraph, London