On Boxing Day of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, debutant Sam Konstas made an aggressive opening knock at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The 19-year-old Australian batsman was bowled by Jadeja after scoring 60 from 65. The young player received significant accolades for his innings, which astounded both experts and former cricket players.
On his Test debut, the opening batsman achieved the fastest half-century for an Australian batsman. His six off the reverse scoop from Jasprit Bumrah was one among the highlights of his innings. Justin Langer, the opener and former head coach of Australia, lauded the young batter and likened it to Virender Sehwag’s 2003 innings at the MCG. The veteran expressed gratitude to the opener for relieving Khawaja of all the strain, as Khawaja was able to regain his form in this match.
“Awe” is the word for it. Sam Konstas had been talking a lot and was highly confident before the game.
His actions have supported it, and it has been amazing to witness. When he got 195 from 233 balls on Day 1 in 2003, he made me think of Virender Sehwag. Langer remarked, “He blew us away, we couldn’t believe the confidence,” when providing commentary on Star Sports.
Additionally, we can observe that Konstas has freed up Usman Khawaja with his first performance. He appeared comfortable because he was accustomed to batting with David Warner, who played aggressively. He’s playing with a partner that shares his style now, which relieves a lot of strain,” Langer continued.
Speaking about Day 1’s happenings, Australia ended the day with 311/6 following half-centuries from Steven Smith, Konstas, Khawaja, and Marnus Labuschagne. With a 3/75 record, Bumrah was India’s top bowler. In order to swiftly end Australia’s first innings on Day 2, the other Indian bowlers would be seeking to make amends for their general inability to produce breakthroughs.
India
