Australian fast bowler Jhye Richardson said that returning to Test cricket remains his priority as he is preparing for the two unofficial four-day matches against India A in Puducherry, with next year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy on his radar as well.

“That’s always the plan – to play Test cricket,” Richardson said on the sidelines of a Big Bash League event in Chennai, according to Cricinfo. “I’d love to play Test cricket. Again, I’ve played a few games now, had a taste of Test cricket, but with shoulder issues and other issues, I haven’t played as much as I would have liked,” he added.

He further added, “That [Border-Gavaskar Trophy] is always in the background. My mentality this year is just to be where my feet are. That’s in Chennai right now and then in Puducherry for two four-day games against India A. Hopefully get through those two games and ultimately if I perform well, I can play Test cricket again.”

READ HERE: Shubman Gill Breaks Silence On ODI Futures Of Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli

Jhye Richardson, however, turns 30 on Sunday, two days before the first Australia A-India A Unofficial Test, and he also said that he remains motivated despite having suffered injuries earlier and the recent loss of his Australia central contract.

“It [turning 30] is quite scary knowing careers can end abruptly,” Richardson said. “But I still feel strong in myself, and I’m enjoying the game and playing for my country. Senior bowler, junior – whatever it is – doesn’t bother me too much as long as I’m enjoying my cricket.”

“Joe is amazing off the field,” Richardson said. “He’s one of the best players in the world. But you know, some of the conversations that we have off the field don’t regard cricket whatsoever. He’s very intelligent and he thinks a lot about what he says. So it was a lot of fun with Joe and I’d love to go back next year. It was a great experience, obviously playing against him in the Ashes and then getting to know him a bit more off the field,” he added.

“The last couple of years with injury…I haven’t had a long string of games together,” Richardson again said. “So the idea was to finish the season strong, and then pretty much head straight into playing some county cricket, get some games there, and then prepare for GSL, which luckily I’ve gotten through so far.”

Jhye Richardson also credited changes in the Western Australia set-up, including new head coach Beau Casson and a new strength and conditioning coach, for pushing him through demanding training as well. However, earlier this month, Australia chair of selectors George Bailey also questioned whether Richardson could return to bowling at 140kph and above, but he also said that would not rule him out of international contention.

“We all know how much India loves its cricket,” Jhye Richardson concluded. “The stadiums are always packed out and super loud, so hopefully we can recreate something with that here. We might have to put in a good word around Chennai to try and get them on the Scorchers’ side.”