Usman Khawaja feels transition back to Test Cricket mode a challenge for Australia

Australian left-handed batsman, Usman Khawaja had said transitioning to red ball cricket after a long break from tests will be the biggest challenge when they face Sri Lanka in their upcoming series . They played their last test way back in February in the inaugural pink ball test against New Zealand.

Australia is scheduled to play 3 Tests, 5 ODIs and 2 Twenty20 Internationals in the island nation when they lock horns against Sri Lanka in the first test starting 26th July at Pallekele.

"We haven't played red-ball cricket for a while," Khawaja said. "Weird seeing the red ball coming down the first time when it did [in an intra-squad practice game]. We were out in the field all day yesterday and you forget how tough being out on the field is. Going to have to do five days of it. Test matches are the hardest form, I reckon, mentally and physically. Going five days, especially in heat like this... If it goes that far, it's going to be pretty tough. It gets easier the more you do it.” Khawaja said .

"In a way, it's nice we have got three formats of the game. It can be a lot sometimes but I really enjoyed playing white-ball cricket. Now enjoying coming back for some Test stuff, doing something different."

Since playing the pink ball test against New Zealand, the Aussies played T20s in South Africa, the World Twenty20 in India and an ODI tri-series in West Indies that also involved South Africa. The stylish left-hander also added that the immense heat and humidity may turn out to be an obstacle for the Aussies.

"The weather is a big challenge. Very hot and humid. The conditions are different, similar to what you get in West Indies and India. Not too foreign, but one of those places where if you start scoring some runs, you'll get comfortable. If the wicket deteriorates, though, it could get tough to score too."

The Australian squad is currently playing intra-squad warm-up games in Colombo. They will be eager to put all the combinations right before the start of the first test.