Jasprit Bumrah in a practice session© AFP
The Indian team got the better of Australia’s Prime Minister XI as the two sides squared off in the pink-ball warm-up game in Canberra. While Rohit Sharma‘s men kept the upper hand throughout the fixture, Australia’s Sam Konstas showcased his talent with a brilliant hundred in the match. However, Konstas didn’t get the opportunity to face India’s marquee pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested from the day-night practice game. Konstas has now expressed his desire to face Bumrah in a match, while expressing confidence in his own batting abilities.
Konstas was the only shining light for Australia PM’s XI in the rain-curtailed fixture. For India, however, both Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah decided to give the fixture a miss, in favour of a lengthy nets session.
“I was watching quite a bit. Bumrah is a skillful player, obviously, and probably the best in the world. Hopefully, one day I can face him and see how we go. I feel confident [in my game]. I’ve been training really hard and it’s a great opportunity to play against the best players,” Konstas was quoted as saying by WA Today.
Konstas is yet to make his Test debut for Australia. His exploits in First-Class cricket, against India A, and the Indian team in the pink-ball match have put pressure on selectors to give him the baggy green cap.
Calls for his inclusion in the team were made before the Perth Test too but the management decided to go ahead with Nathan McSweeney for the opening spot alongside Matthew Wade.
“I’ve been practicing it a little bit with Tim Paine, but yeah, good to get a few away. Tim just told us to have good intent and put pressure on them and treat it like a 46-over game. So I was just trying to keep things simple and just trying to stick to my plans,” Konstas said.
Will Konstas’ ton in the PM’s XI fixture earn him the nod for the Adelaide Test, would be interesting to see.
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