Konstas turned heads on the first day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, defying convention and dismantling India\u2019s potent bowling attack with a fearless display of stroke play. The 19-year-old debutant\u2019s audacious approach, particularly against the formidable Jasprit Bumrah, drew praise and comparisons to cricketing legends from pundits and former players. \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone has taken or treated Bumrah like that in any format of the game, let alone red-ball cricket,\u201d Shastri remarked in his comments on Star Sports network. \u201cFor him to go out there with that swag and attempt some outrageous shots\u2014it was something else. He tore that MCC coaching manual to shreds.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Konstas's ramp shots and bold pulls left the Indian bowlers scrambling for answers. Shastri recounted how the Indian team initially underestimated the young batter, only to see their confidence evaporate as he began to dominate. \u201cThey thought, \u2018If he takes chances, we\u2019ll get him quickly\u2019. But as soon as this started happening, all the smiles disappeared. The ideas disappeared,\u201d Shastri noted. \u201cAt one point, it felt like India had run out of ideas. They actually didn\u2019t know what hit them.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Drawing parallels with legendary India opener Sehwag, Shastri predicted a bright future for Konstas. \u201cHe reminds me a lot of Virender Sehwag when he first burst onto the scene. He\u2019ll entertain when he gets going, and he\u2019s born to entertain. If he plays for any length of time for Australia, he\u2019ll do exactly that,\u201d Shastri added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Former Australia batter and coach Justin Langer also heaped praises on Konstas, highlighting the difficulty of attacking a bowler like Bumrah. \u201cHe\u2019s been given a license to go and attack Bumrah, but that\u2019s not easy\u2014that is so hard to do. Even in T20 cricket, Bumrah\u2019s economy rate is as good as anyone\u2019s. So it\u2019s not easy to do that,\u201d Langer said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Langer revealed that the Indian team did not expect Konstas to play with such audacity. \u201cI did speak to K.L. Rahul before the game. And I said, \u2018Have you seen this kid Sam Konstas?\u2019 He said, \u2018Oh, we only saw him in the Prime Minister\u2019s XI game. He was playing these ramp shots and all this sort of stuff\u2019. Rahul said, \u2018But he won\u2019t do that today.\u2019 And I said, \u2018Yeah, sure he won\u2019t do that today\u2019. And straight away, Sam Konstas was doing that.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Konstas\u2019s bold approach laid the foundation for Australia\u2019s strong position at stumps on Thursday with 311\/6 with Steve Smith (68 not out) and skipper Pat Cummins (batting on 8) at the crease.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Shastri acknowledged that Australia held the upper hand but credited India for clawing back into the contest.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Konstas\u2019s bold approach laid the foundation for Australia\u2019s strong position at stumps on Thursday with 311\/6 with Steve Smith (68 not out) and skipper Pat Cummins (batting on 8) at the crease.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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