Wade played the last of his 12 Tests against India in Delhi in 2013, as his technique fell apart on a tumultuous tour when players were dropped for not completing "homework".

Veteran Brad Haddin regained the role and held on to the position until the second Ashes Test this year, when he stepped aside to be with his ill daughter.

Haddin's deputy, Peter Nevill, 30, was then handed the gloves and performed well, although he expects to be challenged by Wade should he struggle with his glovework or the bat in his first home summer of Test cricket.

Wade, 27, was impressive during Australia's one-day series against England, and will look to show he deserves No.2 national billing when he leads the Bushrangers into their day-night Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland at the MCG, beginning Wednesday.

"I feel a lot better. Two years ago I lost all confidence and probably all my technique through that period of Test cricket. That's probably the worst I have ever kept, let alone for Victoria or in Test cricket or when I have come back," Wade said on Tuesday.

"No doubt, that was the worst I have ever played. I feel really comfortable now. I am probably more confident in my technique than I was when I first got picked for Australia."

Former Australian gloveman Ian Healy was particularly critical of Wade during the 2013 Australian summer after he dropped catches and botched stumpings, and was not "tidying up" some "basic stuff".

Wade, who made two centuries and averaged 34.61 in his brief Test career, said a pivotal change had been at training, where the drills he completed now better prepared him for on-field battle.

"I think experience is the big thing. I was doing a lot of things wrong in training through that period that didn't help when I got out in the middle, so I was training probably harder than I ever played, but I was training the wrong things," he said.

"That was a recipe for disaster – if you train harder on the wrong things, then you are probably going to get worse in the end. That is probably what happened.

"It took probably 12 months to fight through that and work back to where I could get to. Now I have got back there, I feel like I am gradually getting better each time I keep."

Wade and Nevill already share a competitive link: the latter shifted to NSW eight years ago to forge a first-class career because of the logjam of talent in Victorian cricket, with Wade one of the glovemen in his way.

Tim Paine, also a former Test keeper, predicted last week that Nevill, from Melbourne's eastern suburbs, would face a serious challenge from Wade this season.

Spearhead James Pattinson will also look to strengthen his hopes of Test selection, having begun well during in the domestic one-day series. Pattison has refined his action and alignment at the crease, and has been boasting excellent pace.

"He was obviously a little bit rusty when we played in England in the one-dayers there. He hadn't played a lot of cricket leading up to that, but his form in the Matador [one-day series] was awesome," Wade said.

"He did exactly what you want Jimmy to do, or any fast bowler to do – come on and take wickets when you need them. On those [Sydney] wickets, his pace was really good, and they were slow wickets, and he was still getting the ball through really comfortably. Jimmy will play and no doubt he will play well and he will be back in the Test team pretty soon, I am pretty certain of that."

While Wade and Pattinson have their chance to shine, the same cannot be said of former Bushrangers captain Cameron White and the hard-hitting Aaron Finch, after each was overlooked for the shield opener.

White was axed from the Bushrangers' one-day semi-final against South Australia last week after a modest campaign with the bat.

He was dropped from the shield side late last season, and missed the winning final.

Finch, Australia's Twenty20 captain, also had a modest domestic one-day series, and has been replaced at the top of the order by debutant Travis Dean.

Dean, given a Victorian contract in April, thumped an unbeaten 217 and 63 in Victoria's Futures League match against Western Australia last week.

Bushrangers chairman of selectors Andrew Lynch said tough decisions had been made before the pink-ball clash.

"Cam is a bit unlucky, but with our full complement of players to choose from there just wasn't a spot for him," Lynch said.
 
"If Finch had been selected it would have been as an opener, and on this occasion Dean has been selected ahead of him."

Leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed, the leading wicket-taker in the shield last season, returns to the side. Ahmed will be keen to begin well after disappointing tours of the West Indies and England.

Victorian squad: Matthew Wade (C), Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Dan Christian, Travis Dean, Peter Handscomb, John Hastings, Glenn Maxwell, James Pattinson, Rob Quiney, Peter Siddle, Marcus Stoinis