Former head coach Ravi Shastri saw shades of iconic opener Virender Sehwag when he watched Australia Test debutant Sam Konstas take on the Indian pace attack on the opening day of the Boxing Day match at the MCG. Jasprit Bumrah, widely regarded as the best pacer across all formats, was left speechless by the young Konstas. His audacious yet brave approach, being aggressive against India’s top-tier bowlers, riled up the Indian team, especially Virat Kohli.
With a mouthwatering ramp shot to score a four, the immense talent possessed by the 19-year-old opener was evident.
Shastri witnessed Konstas defy the norms of cricket with his swagger. He felt the Indian team had run out of ideas when the young Australian started the run-scoring spree in front of a sell-out crowd.
“I don’t think anyone has treated Bumrah like that in any format of the game, let alone red-ball cricket. For him to go out there with that swagger 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,” Shastri said on Star Sports.
“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 added.
It was hard to believe, but it was indeed Konstas’ debut Test for Australia. Watching Konstas dictate the terms of play, Shastri was reminded of Sehwag when the former opener first burst onto the scene.
“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,” he said.
Konstas spearheaded the attack for Australia and pummeled the Indian pace unit throughout the MCG. It took Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm spin to end the carnage inflicted by Konstas at 60 off 65 balls.
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