Teenager Sam Konstas turned out to be the breath of fresh air in the Australian top order. At first, it was Virat Kohli who bumped into Konstas and got fined. But then Konstas was able to get the crowd behind him and often imitated Kohli's act during the MCG Test. However, the youngster crossed the line when he got involved in an altercation with Indian captain in Sydney Test, Jasprit Bumrah. The fast bowler was not happy with Usman Khawaja's time-wasting tactics before the end of day's play. But Konstas getting in between infuriated him more. While head coach Andrew McDonald and Pat Cummins backed him, many former cricketers from both sides criticised Konstas. After Australia won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, Konstas admitted that it was his "fault".
"Oh, I didn't get too fazed. Unfortunately, Uzi got out. He was trying to buy some time a little bit. It was probably my fault, but it happens. It's cricket. Credit to Bumrah. He got the wicket, but obviously great performance from the team,” Konstas told Triple M.
While Konstas mostly had a smile on his face and enjoyed his time in the debut Test series, the Sydney Test was an emotional one for him. After the Pink Test, Konstas recalled how his cousin succumed to leukaemia and his grandfather passed away after battling with bowel cancer.
"Obviously it's a special event, the McGrath Foundation, and hopefully we spread more awareness for cancer, get the funds in, because I remember my cousin passed away with leukaemia and my grandpa with bowel cancer. So obviously we hope we spread awareness and get the cure," the 19-year-old said.
The entertaining duel
Replacing Nathan McSweeney in the side, Konstas scored 113 runs from four innings including a half-century in his debut innings. He entralled the MCG crowd when he chose to take on the best bowler in the series, Bumrah. The young talent relied on unorthodox shots to disrupt the seasoned pacer's rhythm. However, the last duel between the young and the experienced could not take place as the latter suffered back spasm and couldn't bowl. Konstas' next assignment will be the two-Test series on Sri Lankan soil later this month.