Sam Konstas seems fearless. At just 19, he made his debut against Jasprit Bumrah and took him on. Ramping and charging at the world’s best bowler. That’s what youth does to you. Things took a slight turn when he got into a fight with Virat Kohli. It escalated to a point that both had a physical altercation, for which Kohli was punished by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Sam Konstas’ fights with Jasprit Bumrah
Konstas’ seemed to have left it behind moments after it happened. He came to Sydney with no baggage. Well, that didn’t turn out to be right. With minutes before the close of play on the first day of the Sydney Test, Usman Khawaja, in a bid to waste time, looked to adjust his gloves and make Bumrah wait.
The menacing fast bowler wasn’t happy as Team India wished to bowl another over. All of a sudden, Konstas started chirping at Bumrah from the non-striker’s end. He even took some steps towards Bumrah. The Indian captain wasn’t pleased. The umpires broke up the verbal altercation, and just two balls later, Bumrah got Khawaja’s wicket.
Sam Konstas, like young Virat Kohli?
What was fascinating was that Bumrah and other Indian fielders gave a sendoff to Konstas instead of Khawaja. Sunil Gavaskar, former Indian captain thinks that Konstas’ reminds him of a young Virat Kohli. Not because of his batting but his on-field antics.
“It’s not about the batting; it’s about what happens on the field when someone’s behaviour stirs things up. It reminds me of a young Kohli who is upfront and provocative, drawing reactions from the opposition. That’s exactly what we saw here. Just before the delivery that dismissed him, Sam Konstas had something to say to Jasprit Bumrah—something that really wasn’t his business at that stage. Naturally, Bumrah and the rest of the team responded, and things escalated from there,” Gavaskar told India Today.
