Australia's in-form batter Travis Head was promoted up the order on Sri Lankan pitches to counter spinners and he answered the call with a blazing half-century. The move was criticised by many including former Australian captain Ricky Ponting as they wanted Konstas tested in subcontinent conditions. Australian selector on the tour, Tony Dodemaide, said Konstas had a mature response to getting dropped. While it is not clear whether Konstas will get a chance to play in the second Test, Head has said that he will go back to middle order and the 19-year-old will open in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final against South Africa.
"Most likely I'd go back in the middle order and Sam would open," Head told reporters in Galle. "But I'm glad I'm not a selector. Josh has had an amazing start, the guys are playing well, Greeny's going to be fit. So it's going to be hard to fit [them all] in. I think that's what we want. We want an Australian cricket team that's tough to get in.
"I think that's all we've ever known is players that are unlucky and players that are in the team and expecting good performances. And that's where the pressure comes [from], it's trying to hold your spot every Test, knowing that there's people behind you. We're in a strong position. It's better having seven or eight batters talked about than three or four."
Smith on Konstas' exclusion and criticism around it
Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith responded to the criticism around benching Konstas. He revealed that the youngster was ill for a while but has resumed training. He has not forgotten what he did on debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and wants to have him on the tour and learn from the experience.
"I know there was a little bit of talk around whether he might play or not, whether there's a series that, I guess, you can blood [him]. But whether he played or not played, it's great to have him here and great to have him experience the conditions," Smith said.
"I don't think there's been a Test match in the history that they've blooded someone or thought there was a free hit. We're here to win 2-0, and Sam's a big part of where we're going. There's no doubt about it.
"For someone to come in and take the game [on] the way he did in Melbourne, the confidence he's got, it's a good thing to have a young kid around that's a bit naive and just plays the game the right way. He's got a huge future for Australia. It'll just be how he, over the years, deals with adversity. At this stage, he looks like he deals with it really well."
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's veteran opener Dimuth Karunaratne has announced retirement from Test cricket. The second Test of the series will mark Karunratne's last 100th Test appearance.