A rejuvenated Renshaw, now a father of two, has rediscovered balance in life and cricket. \u201cObviously, I want to be there; it would be remiss of me not to say that,\u201d he admitted ahead of Australia\u2019s second ODI against India in Adelaide. \u201cBut I try and stay away from it as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The left-hander was caught off guard when picked for the ODI squad. \u201cI had to Google when and where the games were scheduled,\u201d he said with a grin. \u201cIt\u2019s (knowing) if I get everything else in order, the cricket will just take care of itself.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Renshaw\u2019s transformation is striking. The same player who once rushed off the field to check others\u2019 scores has now learned to let go of comparisons. \u201cThere\u2019s been times in my career where I come off after a Shield game, and obviously all the Shield games are on at the same time, and you\u2019re looking at the scorecard, you\u2019re looking at different names, seeing how they went,\u201d he recalled. \u201cNow, like the first Shield game (this season), I couldn\u2019t tell you who scored runs in other games.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He understands now that someone else\u2019s success doesn\u2019t define his own journey. \u201cKnowing that it doesn\u2019t really matter, in terms of someone else scoring runs, doesn\u2019t matter to how I\u2019m going to go out and play my game,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
That maturity stems from perspective off the field. \u201cBeing a father of a two-year-old girl and five-month-old boy was now my validation, rather than earning a Test recall or judging myself on my run-scoring,\u201d Renshaw reflected. \u201cA lot of the time, you try and force a few things, you see someone else gets runs, and you go: \u2018I need to score runs because then I\u2019m going to be picked for Australia, then I\u2019m going to become a good person\u2019. That whole mentality when you\u2019re young is that\u2019s how you view yourself as a person. Whereas now I go home and I\u2019ve got to change nappies, I\u2019ve got to put kids to bed, I\u2019ve got to try and calm screaming babies down.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He laughs now at how all-consuming cricket once was. \u201cWhen you\u2019re young, you go home, you have got nothing to do, so you\u2019re just sitting on your phone scrolling,\u201d he said. \u201cI hide. I don\u2019t have the Cricket Australia app, I don\u2019t try and look at any news, I hide all the cricket stuff on my Instagram so I don\u2019t see it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Renshaw\u2019s renewed outlook has come with results \u2014 a mountain of domestic runs and a recall to the ODI setup, keeping him in the Ashes frame. Yet he shrugs off any talk of selection. \u201c12-year-old Matt, I talk to him a lot, and if I told 12-year-old Matt that I was in a room of 30 journalists, he wouldn\u2019t believe you,\u201d he smiled. \u201cI (now) think, \u2018How cool is this, how awesome is it that I get this opportunity\u2019 rather than, \u2018If I score runs, I will get this opportunity\u2019. Even the other night \u2026 I was a bit nervous, and Virat Kohli made a duck, and he\u2019s the best player in this format ever. It\u2019s OK to fail.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He laughs now at how all-consuming cricket once was. \u201cWhen you\u2019re young, you go home, you have got nothing to do, so you\u2019re just sitting on your phone scrolling,\u201d he said. \u201cI hide. I don\u2019t have the Cricket Australia app, I don\u2019t try and look at any news, I hide all the cricket stuff on my Instagram so I don\u2019t see it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For Renshaw, cricket is no longer his only identity \u2014 and perhaps that\u2019s what makes him more dangerous now. \u201cI have two kids now, they\u2019re a huge part of my life, so it\u2019s knowing that cricket\u2019s not like my sole reason, it\u2019s everything else,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I get everything else in order, the cricket will just take care of itself.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n