As he came to the crease for the first time in Test cricket, Josh Inglis chewed gum at a furious pace as he tapped away at the benign surface in Galle.

It may have looked like a classic case of a debutant struggling to contain his nerves, but seasoned observers of Inglis well knew those traits. He chews gum like he’s ready for battle. He is a busy cricketer, who likes to get straight to business. And he only has one thought when he gets to the crease.

“I enjoy playing the game aggressively and scoring runs in that way… that’s what I love to do,” Inglis told me a few years ago. “Sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn’t and you look a bit stupid but that’s okay.”

There was no thought of easing his way into Test cricket. He hit his first delivery through mid-on for a boundary and he was off. This isn’t merely riding on the back of hindsight, but it was quickly evident that Inglis was on his way to being in the rarefied club of debutant Test century makers.

Even though he grew up on the pace-friendly wickets in Perth, Inglis is a noted player of spin and his decisiveness was evident from the start. He was quick on his feet whether skipping down the track or rocking back deep in his crease. Inglis is the right mix of old school and new school merging.

He has a rock solid defence as he showed early in his innings when Sri Lanka’s spinners thought they could rattle the newbie. And, befitting a new age player with plenty of success in the shorter formats, he can change gears, sometimes deceptively. He strolled to the tea break on 44 at a run a ball pace without really raising a sweat – metaphorically speaking because the stifling humidity ensured copious amounts of perspiring.

But every time a lull was emerging, just when the bowlers thought they could probe, Inglis went on the attack and regained control. “I just tried to be really proactive and put the bowlers under pressure when I could and tried to get down the other end,” Inglis said after play.

Apart from an overturned lbw decision on 58 and a couple of false strokes, Inglis was pretty well supreme. He motored to his century and jumped high in the sky, pumping his fists, as his parents beamed in the terraces. His proud father blew kisses to his son, who has vindicated the faith in the selectors shoehorning the Western Australia wicketkeeper into the side as a specialist batter.

Much like legendary wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, Inglis stepped into Test cricket with an extensive resume and the years of toil showed. He has been a standout performer for WA in the Sheffield Shield in recent seasons and is Australia’s incumbent wicketkeeper in the shorter formats.

His leadership skills have been identified by Australia’s hierarchy with Inglis having recently captained the national team in T20I and ODI cricket.

It’s odd to say about a debutant but Inglis, who soon turns 30, is already a senior member of the Australia set-up and used to the rigours of it all. He’s somewhat a taciturn figure, but does speak maturely when fronting the press. Inglis seemed to lighten up a bit and appeared more comfortable in front of the cameras after taking Australia’s leadership reins.

He could well be in the mix to be Australia’s next Test captain when Pat Cummins eventually steps down.

And he might just become their next great batter. There has been much debate over who will take the baton from Steve Smith in what has been a seamless transition for Australia over decades. Greg Chappell, Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Smith have taken turns being Australia’s batting talisman.

Smith is having a renaissance right now but he’s at the twilight of his legendary career. Sam Konstas, who Inglis replaced in a reshuffled batting order, is being hyped as the next big thing, but he’s only 19 and there will be bumps in the road at least for a little while.

Inglis’ time is now. The hard part will be trying to find a permanent spot for him after this series. Will he take the gloves and replace Alex Carey, who has been in strong form and is a beloved figure in the team, or can he remain as a specialist batter?

His flexibility makes Inglis such an appealing option for selectors, with some pundits believing he could even open in Tests even though he never has in first-class cricket.

All those possibilities await and the selectors will have to make some hard calls. But, right now, Inglis is basking in his remarkable start to what should be a long Test career.

“I’m just really happy, it probably hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said.