Konstas arrives at the Test arena like a supernova
Neither a new-ball spell from Jasprit Bumrah nor a confrontation with Virat Kohli could faze the young debutant
Alex Malcolm26-Dec-20241:51
Manjrekar explains how Konstas took down Bumrah
A star is born. No ordinary star either. It was a supernova that exploded onto the global stage with 65 balls of the most electric batting ever seen on Boxing Day.Sam Konstas has arrived and made his name. Nineteen-year-olds aren’t supposed to do what he did. They’re definitely not supposed to do what he did to Jasprit Bumrah.He is the fourth-youngest Australian to make his Test debut, and he scored the third-fastest half-century on debut by an Australian and the fastest by an opener.Related
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But it was what he did to Bumrah that was the most extraordinary. He toyed with the man who has tormented Australia in this series and took the most runs off him in one spell of any Test batter to have ever faced him.The man Konstas replaced, Nathan McSweeney, scored 15 off 66 balls with four dismissals against Bumrah in three Test matches. Usman Khawaja had scored 4 for 27 in 70 balls and Marnus Labuschange had 2 for 13 in 70 balls in the same games.Konstas smashed an unbeaten 34 off 33 off Bumrah, including 18 in an over. Bumrah has never conceded more in a Test over. Konstas hit him for two sixes. Only Jos Buttler has done that before and he wasn’t opening the batting on debut. And no batter had hit him for six in Test cricket since January 2021.”I’ll look to keep targeting him,” Konstas told the Fox Cricket broadcast when interviewed on the flying mic at the first drinks break. “Hopefully he might come back on.”Mohammed Siraj sledged Konstas. The kid charged against Siraj and slapped him through point for a boundary next ball and gave it right back to him, revving the crowd up with a hand gesture shortly after. Virat Kohli deliberately walked into Konstas’ line when he had his head down and bumped shoulders with him before telling the kid to “watch where he’s going”. Konstas stood his ground and gave it right back to India’s cricketing king.When asked about the exchange, Konstas said, “Whatever [happens] on the field stays on the field.”One former Australian player suggested privately that Konstas might be the most fearless of any Australian debutant in the history of Test cricket.Sam Konstas used the ramp to counter Jasprit Bumrah•Getty ImagesAll the credit in the world must go to Konstas for the show he put on to put Australia in a commanding position at lunch on the opening day. He did need a lot of luck, but it came because of some extraordinary bravery.Some credit though must also go to Australia’s selectors. They agonised over dropping McSweeney. But they concluded that while he was good enough for Test cricket, and good enough to be selected again, he was not putting any pressure on any of India’s bowlers, especially Bumrah.Chair of selectors George Bailey said they wanted to “throw a different look” at Bumrah and India, and Konstas was that different look.The decision looks like an act of genius now. But after 21 balls it did not. He looked instead like a deer in the headlights. Another poor Australian domestic batter sent to the gallows to be Bumrah’s next victim in front of 87,242 people.Bumrah beat him four times in the first over. Two balls into the next over, he got off the mark with a flick behind square from the first straight delivery. The roar of relief from the crowd showed how invested they were in the young man not being humiliated.Bumrah went back to bending outswingers away from him outside off stump. Then, in his 11th ball in Test cricket, Konstas tried to reverse scoop Bumrah and missed. The gasp from the crowd was the audio version of “WTF”. The replay on the big screen drew nervous laughter from the crowd. The same nervous laughter Khawaja had initially at the other end.He tried another forward defence next ball and was beaten again. Three balls into Bumrah’s next over he tried another reverse scoop and missed. Now the crowd was really murmuring. Phones pinged with messages flying. “WTF is this kid doing? Didn’t know Joe Root was batting for Australia.”Konstas finally got to the other end, courtesy of Khawaja. He charged against Siraj and missed with a wild swipe. He charged again and swatted across the line through the leg side for three runs and earned a death stare from Siraj.Konstas was on 5 off 21 balls and Australia were 12 for 0 after six overs. There was no evidence at this point he was going to do any better than McSweeney had against Bumrah, which would serve only to confirm the theory that there wasn’t a single Australian citizen capable of handling him.Sam Konstas got his fifty off 52 balls•Getty ImagesHow wrong that theory was. Konstas instead proved the theory that if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.Off the first ball of Bumrah’s fourth over the game changed. Konstas shuffled outside off and scooped him over a very fine leg to a mighty roar that was only dulled slightly because landed inches short of going for six.The next shot was even more amazing. He switched hands and reverse scooped Bumrah for six. The audacity was breathtaking. Three balls later he did it again for another boundary. Bumrah went for 14 from the over.To try the shot twice, fail twice, and then try again twice and pull it off twice is evidence of a player who has complete faith in his own ability.There was scant evidence of Konstas playing this shot previously in first-class although he is capable of it in the short forms. He had done it once in the Prime Minister’s XI game off Akash Deep with success. But the score was 50 for 2 in the 14th over of a 50-over game.He is understood to have tried it in his last Sheffield Shield innings of 88 against Western Australia, which made veteran coach Greg Shipperd anxious.He barely practiced it in the nets in the lead in to his Test debut. During Australia’s first optional session on Monday, he reverse scooped one throwdown from Marnus Labuschagne. On Tuesday, he was tormented by Scott Boland and Sean Abbott while trying to defend. He got out to the latter several times but never once tried to reverse scoop him.But this is what makes Konstas unique. Having been mentored by former Australian allrounder and opener Shane Watson, Konstas has a specific mental routine. One of the mental concepts Watson teaches is for players to tap into their “gut feel”. If they feel an option is the right one in the moment, based on their preparation, then instinctively they should take that option and not fear the consequences.Bumrah’s relentless accuracy made the shot an option in the moment, just like Rishabh Pant had done to Scott Boland in Adelaide, and just as England’s Bazballers do to line-and-length bowlers on a regular basis.Konstas was asked at drinks whether he had planned that shot prior to the game and the answer was no.”When the ball was coming down,” he said.It changed the whole complexion of the game. Rohit Sharma relented and moved third slip to deep third. Konstas nicked a ball shortly after that might have been caught by third slip but no one was there.In Bumrah’s sixth and final over of his first spell, Konstas delivered an astonishing assault as the impeccable lines and lengths became scattergun. The scoops were no longer needed. He moved outside leg and thumped him straight of mid-off for four. He pulled one through midwicket for two. He then launched a length ball over long-on for six before carving a low full toss behind point for four. The last ball of the over was lofted over mid-off without timing for two.Bumrah had conceded 18 in the over and 38 in his six-over spell and was pulled from the attack. Konstas was 45 off 44, having scored 40 from his last 23 balls.He raced to 50 in 52, and received an enormous ovation, before unfurling another audacious shot, running at Siraj and clubbing a short ball over midwicket.He finally ran aground trying to defend against Ravindra Jadeja. He was nearly pinned lbw in Jadeja’s second over. Umpire Michael Gough gave him not out and it was umpire’s call on hitting leg. In Jadeja’s third over Gough raised his finger as it was smashing leg stump.Konstas got a standing ovation for 60 off 65 and then wandered back out of the rooms to casually sign autographs and take selfies with the fans near the race.Aside from the Konstas-mania that will undoubtedly ensue, the flow-on effects of his audacious batting for Australia’s team were clear for the world to see. Khawaja, under virtually no pressure at the other end, cruised to his first half-century in 12 innings. The opening partnership yielded 89 in 19.2 overs, the highest opening stand Australia had produced in over 12 months and the highest against India in a Test match since 2018.What was clear too, when Bumrah returned for his second and third spells either side of lunch, was that Konstas’ innings was a complete outlier. Normal service resumed. Khawaja and Labuschagne struggled to score despite Australia’s imposing position. Bumrah bowled three maidens in five overs, conceding just five runs. But the threat of the new ball had gone. Edges fell well short of the cordon. India looked rattled and perplexed.The afterglow of Konstas’ supernova looks spectacular for Australia, in both the short and the long term.