GIVEN that he has spent most of his career defying convention, it should be no surprise that Liam Plunkett struggles to remember anything of his Test debut.

Enrolled at Durham's Academy as a number three batsman, the 20-year-old rapidly developed into a pace bowler of considerable repute.

Starting last season as an untried novice, he finished the campaign with more than 50 wickets, having played a major role in Durham's promotion to the top-flight of both the County Championship and the totesport league.

And, despite travelling to Pakistan last winter as a surprise call-up to England's senior squad, he finished the tour with a Test cap and five One-Day International appearances to his name.

Hardly the antics of somebody who likes to do things by the book. So, while most cricketers would describe their international debut as "unforgettable", Plunkett has already forgotten November's third Test in Lahore.

Clearly, when it comes to one of English cricket's brightest hopes, it is best to expect the unexpected.

"It seems a strange thing to say, but it didn't seem real," said Plunkett, with an assurance that contrasted sharply to the youthful excitement that dominated his thoughts when we last met in the autumn. "When we were sat here before the Pakistan tour, I said I was desperate to make my Test debut, even though I thought I would be carrying the drinks.

"You always think you're going to remember every single second of your Test debut but, to be honest, I struggle to remember any of it at all.

"It was almost like I was standing on the sidelines watching somebody else play the game.

"It's hard to explain. You spend your whole career building up to your first Test match but, when it comes around, first and foremost, it's a game of cricket.

"You're so busy concentrating on the nuts and bolts of your game that it's really hard to stand back and take it all in.

"The five days flew by in a haze and, even now, it all seems strangely distant somehow. It felt like I was there, I just wasn't really aware of everything that was going on around me.

"I spoke to some of the other lads and they all said their debut was the same. They said you don't really start appreciating it until you get into a run of games."

Given the impact he made in Pakistan, it is unlikely Plunkett will have to wait too long to experience how that feels.

Two wickets on his Test debut underlined his obvious potential, before a string of impressive one-day displays suggested the Teessider might be closer to the finished article than even he dared suspect.

A three-wicket haul helped England win the opening One-Day International and, while the tourists went on to lose the series, Plunkett finished with seven wickets to his name and a batting average of 31.33.

That proved good enough to win him a call-up to both the Test and one-day squads for the forthcoming tour of India, silencing the critics who had questioned his elevation to the senior ranks last autumn.

Plunkett has earned his place on the plane to Mumbai but, while the returning Simon Jones is no longer guaranteed a starting spot in March's first Test, the Durham paceman still sees himself as an international novice with plenty to prove.

"Just because I've been named in the squad, I'm not stupid enough to assume I've made it," he said. "I have to prove myself every time I go onto a cricket pitch, whether that's with England or Durham.

"Cricket is littered with people who have played in a Test match, not done the business, and then disappeared without trace.

"I don't want to be a one-cap wonder. I want to play each game as if it's going to be my last and enjoy this for as long as I possibly can.

"The team that won the Ashes is the first-choice team. There are some fantastic bowlers in there and I know they are going to be hard to dislodge.

"But I have to keep believing I can do it. If I keep performing and someone gets injured, or I'm performing better than someone else, I know the management are confident enough to give me another game."

That confidence, though, comes with strings attached. Plunkett's lack of experience would have been a viable excuse had he failed to fire in Pakistan.

Three months down the line and, while the England management are sensible enough to keep their demands to a realistic level, his previous performances have created a benchmark he will be expected to reach.

India, too, will have noted his development with interest. Despite his tender years, his days as an unknown quantity have passed.

"When I went to Pakistan, I didn't really have any pressure on my shoulders," said Plunkett. "A lot of people didn't really know who I was and that meant there wasn't a lot expected of me when I went out to bowl.

"Hopefully, that isn't the case now. I'd like to think I've put myself on the map a bit. I'm not saying the Indian team will be spending a lot of time thinking about me, but I'd like to think they knew who I was now.

"That changes things. I've shown I can do a bit with both the bat and ball, and people will be expecting things from me on this tour. That's not a bad thing, but it cranks the pressure up a little bit more.

"To be honest, I think the Indian tour was always going to be harder than the one to Pakistan anyway. The wickets will be every bit as difficult to bowl on and, if you look down the Indian team, the batting is probably as strong as any side in the world."

Given the abundance of runs in India's current tour of Pakistan, England's bowlers could be in for quite a slog. In the opening two Tests of this month's series, India's batsmen have plundered 1,034 runs for the loss of just 11 wickets.

The Indian pitches are unlikely to be quite so unresponsive later this spring, but Plunkett is still expecting another stern test on the Asian sub-continent.

And, while the physical demands will be excessive, it is the mental side of the Test game that asks the toughest questions.

"The margins for error are so much smaller," explained Plunkett. "You generally get punished for every bad ball you bowl but, as a bowler, you can live with that.

"What's hard to accept is that your good balls are just as liable to be punished as well. It needs quite a bit of character to shrug your shoulders when a perfectly good delivery disappears over your head for a six.

"In county cricket, that normally doesn't happen. A good ball for Durham would generally have got me a wicket or put the batsmen under pressure. For England, it's just as likely that it'll be dispatched down the ground.

"That's when the mental side of the game becomes all-important. It's about how you deal with that.

"Do you start straining even harder and end up spraying the ball all over the place? Or do you keep believing and tell yourself that the same good delivery will eventually get you a wicket?"

Given's India's tremendous batting strength, few observers expect any of England's bowlers to keep consistently doing the latter.

As Plunkett's career has proved, though, it is dangerous to make assumptions. Perhaps his second Test will prove easier to remember than his first.