Kellaway, currently in Lucknow preparing for the Australia A tour of India, didn\u2019t open the batting in his first 27 Sheffield Shield matches for Victoria. The left-hander typically occupied a spot in the middle order, averaging 30.12 across his first two seasons in the Sheffield Shield.<\/p>\n
However, in November last year he was elevated to open in a pink-ball match against Queensland in Brisbane as part of a top-order reshuffle. He didn\u2019t request to move up the order, but the promotion allowed Matthew Short to return to his preferred spot at No. 3.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was out of my hands,\u201d Kellaway recalled while speaking to Fox Cricket.<\/p>\n
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The new role wasn\u2019t completely foreign to him, having previously opened at Under-19 level and for Victoria\u2019s second XI, but after being dismissed for a seven-ball duck on day one at the Gabba, he was left questioning whether he suited the top of the order. <\/p>\n
However, the East Sandringham product peeled off a 175-ball 122 in the second innings, his maiden first-class hundred, named player of the match after helping Victoria steal a memorable 90-run victory over the Bulls.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo get my first hundred, from there you know you can do it,\u201d Kellaway explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a matter of applying your craft time and time again and putting yourself in the best position to do well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Campbell Kellaway celebrates his maiden Sheffield Shield hundred at the Gabba. Photo by Bradley Kanaris\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Gabba century proved a turning point for Kellaway, who for the remainder of the Sheffield Shield season accumulated 541 runs at 54.10, including a match-winning 165 not out against Western Australia at the WACA in March. He finished the summer as Victoria\u2019s leading run-scorer, with only one opener managing more runs in the competition \u2013 Tasmania\u2019s Jake Weatherald.<\/p>\n
Kellaway also cracked his maiden List A century during a One-Day Cup match against New South Wales in Sydney, an unbeaten 117 that booked Victoria\u2019s spot in the final. Now, despite some initial reluctance, he wants to open the batting for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to work pretty hard on my game, so it was nice to see a bit of reward come through after three solid years of hard work,\u201d Kellaway said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do enjoy opening the batting for the Vics now. I was lucky enough to taste a bit of success batting at the top of the order towards the back-end of the season, and I got used to playing that role for my team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely would like to keep opening the batting for the Vics heading into this Shield season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The transition from No. 3 to opener didn\u2019t prove too arduous for Kellaway, who has found a worthy mentor in Victorian coach Chris Rogers, a fellow left-handed opener that performed the role at Test level. He has also received support and guidance from assistant coach Ben Rohrer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt like the core, the base of my game hasn\u2019t really changed a lot moving from No. 3 to opening the batting,\u201d Kellaway explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there are some little intricacies that come with opening the batting that I\u2019ve been learning. It\u2019s been good to speak to (Rogers) about batting in different scenarios, and I guess I\u2019ve been exposed to different situations over the last 12 months.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m always working on my game and trying to become a better player. I\u2019m in constant communication with those two and talking about ways that my game can continue to evolve, with the long-term plan of becoming the best player that I can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Campbell Kellaway of Victoria. Photo by Morgan Hancock\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The nephew of former AFL players Duncan and Andrew, Kellaway represented Australia at the 2022 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, finishing the tournament as the nation\u2019s second-leading run-scorer with 239 runs at 47.80. He made his first-class debut for Victoria later that year, becoming the state\u2019s 872nd Sheffield Shield cricketer.<\/p>\n
In his second red-ball match for Victoria, Kellaway notched a 171-ball 81 against New South Wales at Junction Oval, a knock he reflects on fondly. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat for me gave me a lot of confidence, knowing that I could have some success at first-class level,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was probably the first time I\u2019d got a substantial score that contributed to the Vics winning a Shield game.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust to know that I could succeed at the level was quite satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the following week, Kellaway created headlines when he smacked a century in a Cricket Australia XI match against the touring South Africans, facing the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj and Anrich Nortje.<\/p>\n
His unbeaten 105 at Allan Border Field included 14 boundaries, while only one of his teammates managed more than 11 against the world-class bowling attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d only played a handful of first-class matches going into that game, so for me it felt like a little bit of a free hit in a sense,\u201d Kellaway recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was pretty wide-eyed. The thought of facing a South African full-strength bowling attack was pretty daunting with some high-quality bowlers in their line-up.\u201d<\/p>\n
National selectors identified Kellaway as a long-term prospect, sending him on two trips to Chennai\u2019s MRF Academy in 2023 and 2025 to give him a taste of the subcontinent\u2019s unique conditions. The twin ventures will pay off this week when he faces India A in Lucknow, playing two red-ball games ahead of the home summer.<\/p>\n
He will return home before Victoria\u2019s first Sheffield Shield match against South Australia at Adelaide Oval in early October.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was really good preparation for the games that we\u2019ve got coming up,\u201d Kellaway said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve now been exposed to some spinning tracks, which you just don\u2019t get in Australia. Hopefully that\u2019s going to hold me in good stead going into these games.\u201d<\/p>\n
Campbell Kellaway of Victoria. Photo by Paul Kane\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Australia A tour to India has been flagged as an opportunity to prepare the nation\u2019s next generation of cricket stars for future trips to the subcontinent, most notably the 2027 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Australia will be searching for a long-time Test opener following Usman Khawaja\u2019s retirement, and Kellaway\u2019s Australia A selection confirms he\u2019s firmly in the mix.<\/p>\n
Although it\u2019s yet to be confirmed, Kellaway is expected to open the batting alongside fellow young gun Sam Konstas in Lucknow, a potential first glimpse at Australia\u2019s future Test opening partnership.<\/p>\n
However, Kellaway refuses to look too far ahead, doing his best to ignore speculation about his Test credentials.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying not to read into it too much,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWeight of runs speaks for itself for me. I want to contribute to Victoria winning games of cricket in Shield cricket and in one-day cricket.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd with these opportunities we\u2019ve got with Aus A coming up, I want to put my best foot forward in those games.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you go well, you never know what will happen.\u201d<\/p>\n