The first day of the Boxing Day Test between IND vs AUS was a thrilling contest with a lot of surprises. One such surprise was given by the 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas who legit scored a half-century, like an ODI match. Along with the fresh-face Konstas, veteran Steve Smith also displayed his brilliance with a 68-run knock, but he’s still not out. Former India coach Ravi Shastri and ex-Australian coach Justin Langer shared their insights on the day’s action. India’s legendary coach, who has coached the two time BGT winners in Australia, Ravi Shastri compared the new lad with India’s legendary batter Virender Sehwag.
Konstas is just like Sehwag
Ravi Shastri compared the new Aussie with Virender Sehwag in terms of ability to swing the bat. “I don’t think anyone’s taken or treated Bumrah like that in any format of the game, let alone red-ball cricket. For him to go out there with that swag and attempt some outrageous shots—it was something else. He tore that MCC coaching manual to shreds. At one point, it felt like India had run out of ideas. They actually didn’t know what hit them. Initially, he missed the first two shots, and there was a smile on the faces of the Indian players. They thought, ‘If he takes chances, we’ll get him quickly.’ But as soon as this started happening, all the smiles disappeared. The ideas disappeared.” he said.
Shastri on Konstas future
Talking about the 19 year old’s future, Shastri said,“I’d say he’ll have his odd failures with the way he plays and the chances he takes. It reminds me a lot of Virender Sehwag when he first burst onto the scene. He’ll entertain when he gets going, and he’s born to entertain. If he plays for any length of time for Australia, he’ll do exactly that.”
Justin Langer on Sam Konstas
Australia’s former cricketer and coach Justin Langer appreciate Konstas for his bravery. “He’s been given a license to go and attack Bumrah, but that’s not easy—that is so hard to do. Even in T20 cricket, I think Bumrah’s economy rate is as good as anyone. So it’s not easy to do that. But the kid was bold, talking a good game, and then he came and put it into action. That’s what great players do. Anyone can talk a good game. He came and put it into action, and it was exciting to watch.” he stated.
Langer on conversation with KL Rahul about Konstas
Justin Langer shared his conversation with KL Rahul on Konstas on the sidelines of BGT. He’s only played 11 first-class games, but I did speak to KL Rahul before the game. And I said, ‘Have you seen this kid Sam Konstas?’ And he goes, ‘Oh, we only saw him in the Prime Minister’s XI game (50 overs). He was playing these ramp shots and all this sort of stuff.’ Rahul said, ‘But he won’t do that today.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, sure he won’t do that today.’ And straight away, Sam Konstas was doing that.”
Ravi Shastri on IND vs AUS Day 1
“India will be happy that they’ve come back into the contest. I’d still say Australia has the upper hand—they’ve got runs on the board. But at one stage, it looked like Australia would bat India out of the contest. When Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were together, had that partnership carried on, Australia could have ended the day three or four down and in a tremendous position. You’ve got to worry about this pitch now. Once the sun beats down and it gets a little drier, I think the bounce will become a bit uneven. The runs on the board will be crucial.” said Ravi Shastri on Day 1.
