Nathan McSweeney knows better than anyone that 18 months is a long time in cricket, let alone five years.

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In 2019, he was facing the likes of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood for the first time in the nets — as Australia’s fast bowling cartel prepared for their Ashes tour of England.

Half a decade on, those same three seamers will welcome him with open arms as they prepare to tackle India this summer.

“I faced them (when they were) in Ashes prep when I was about 19 … I had them all in the net session, and walked out of that feeling like I was 4”11,” McSweeney told media on Sunday morning.

“It was like a golf ball coming down — I remember calling Dad saying: ‘I’m not sure how anyone faces these guys’; so hopefully it’s a little bit different now and I can hold my own.

“They’ve been the best bowling attack in world cricket for a while, so there’s probably no better preparation than to get in there and face them.”

Fast-forward 18 months after the degrading net session that was, McSweeney made the tough decision to move from his home state of Queensland to South Australia, in search of greater opportunity at domestic level.

McSweeney made his first-class debut as a 19-year-old in his home state at the start of the 2018/19 season — but in his three years at the Bulls, managed only four more red-ball matches; none of which came in his final year at the state in 2020/21.

His transition into South Australia’s best XI the following season wasn’t the easiest either, playing just three games in his debut season as older prospects were given a preference.

It by no means deterred him though, with a special 99 not out in late March of 2022 seeing his new state home for their first Sheffield Shield win in two years — an innings that officially put him on the domestic cricketing map.

It was the next season — 2022/23 — that the right-handed bat was a regular in South Australia’s red-ball make up, in a season where he hit his first first-class century, and finished the season with 492 runs from eight matches and two centuries.

And since then, the 25-year-old has hit four more hundreds at the level — well and truly familiar with what it feels like to make big scores against the best Australia has to offer.

“I’m very lucky that South Australia has given me an opportunity; Queensland had a great side at the time (when I moved) and I felt like my game was ready to play first-class cricket – it didn’t quite work out seamlessly,” McSweeney said.

“I’ve been able to perform pretty consistently over the last couple of years in Shield cricket; I feel like my game’s constantly getting better and I’m improving. I feel like I’m playing the best cricket I have.

“I feel like my game’s ready.”

Now firmly set as South Australia’s first drop batter, McSweeney is regularly facing the newer ball in his role — no stranger to a swinging ball at the start of his innings.

And while there’s no doubt that nothing truly replicates opening the batting, his role in first-class cricket right now is as close as it gets.

“It’s one position earlier than I normally do; my prep is the exact same, I train with the new ball,” McSweeney added.

“I’m just really looking forward to the experience and the opportunity.

“I’ll go back to Adelaide and hit with my batting coach in South Australia, and get ready for an important series (and) really work on what I feel like I need to do to be ready.”

It’s taken McSweeney 34 first-class matches before his promotion to international level; which all things considered, is actually quite a quick transition.

His former teammate — and new opening partner — Usman Khawaja is arguably the perfect person to help McSweeney shoulder the load this summer, having predominantly batted at three and four in his career before his switch to opening.

But while he may have an extra dozen years experience in the system, that’s not to say Khawaja will shoulder all responsibility.

“I’ve heard that Uzzie isn’t the biggest fan of (facing the first ball); I faced the first ball in both innings out here (at the MCG) so I’m comfortable with that,” the South Australian captain revealed.

And when it comes to fielding, McSweeney also looks to have pulled the short straw, no thanks to a hilarious text from his superstar South Australia teammate.

“I just got a text from Travis Head saying: ‘I can give you my bat pad pads’ – so I’ll be straight under there I would’ve thought,” McSweeney chuckled.

On a more serious level, former Queensland teammate Marnus Labuschagne is another Australian player the opening incumbent has been able to lean on — with many similarities present from an approach and technical point of view.

“Growing up in Queensland, the style of play at the Gabba has dictated the way I play, and probably the way he (Labuschagne) plays as well,” McSweeney explained.

“He’s a deep thinker … at times we probably look similar, and I like to think that I’ve got my own kind of way of playing; but definitely using Marnus as a resource has been very helpful for me.”

The task of facing Jasprit Bumrah with a new ball this summer is as tough as it gets, so if McSweeney can repay the faith instilled in him by selectors George Bailey, Andrew McDonald and Tony Dodemaide — Australia could well be looking at the their country’s best young gun at international level in years.

Australia’s 13-man squad for First Test vs India: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc