Australia head coach Andrew McDonald claimed that India tried to intimidate young opener Sam Konstas on Day 1 of IND vs AUS 5th Test in Sydney. The 19-year-old rubbed shoulders with skipper Jasprit Bumrah towards the end of play on Day 1, firing up the entire Indian side. Following Usman Khawaja’s dismissal on the final delivery of the day, Bumrah’s teammates rushed to the non-strikers end from all corners of the field while the Indian skipper gave a cold stare to Konstas.
Australia coach cries foul over India “intimidating” Sam Konstas
Speaking at a press conference after Day 2, McDonald claimed that he was forced to check on Konstas following the drama at the end of play on Day 1. He went on to state that while it was acceptable as no fines were levied, he said that he’ll leave the matter to the ICC officials and the umpires to decide on the spat.
“Clearly the way that India celebrated that it was quite intimidating. It’s clearly within the rules and regulations of the game, as there have been no charges laid. To have an opposition to swarm the non-striker like that, we have a duty of care to make sure he is okay and in a headspace to go out the next day and perform,” McDonald said.
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Bumrah vs Sam Konstas
The incident occurred in the 3rd over of Australia’s 1st innings as Bumrah was bowling to Khawaja. Konstas, who was at the non-strikers end, was involved in a heated verbal exchange with Bumrah. In the very next delivery, the premium pacer succeeded in getting rid of Usman Khawaja, following which he gave a cold stare to the 19-year-old.
In his debut game at the MCG, the young Aussie opener displayed some fearless batting, taking Bumrah to the cleaners with some innovative shots. However, Virat Kohli wasn’t having any of the disrespect shown towards Bumrah and went on to shoulder bump the youngster. As a result, the Indian batter was fined 20% of his match fee and was handed one demerit point.
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