Sam Konstas (L) and Jasprit Bumrah© AFP
India head coach Gautam Gambhir criticised Australian debutant Sam Konstas for his involvement in a heated verbal exchange with Jasprit Bumrah on the opening day of the Sydney Test, calling it inappropriate. The final moments of the opening day became tense when the 19-year-old Konstas engaged in a verbal spat with the Indian pace spearhead, leaving Bumrah visibly agitated. As Bumrah was fired up, the consequences were felt by Usman Khawaja, who, on the next delivery, gave away a thick outside edge to KL Rahul at second slip.
“Tough sport played by tough men. He had no right to be talking to Jasprit Bumrah when Usman Khawaja was taking time. He had no right and no business to be involved with Jasprit Bumrah. That was the job of the umpire and the guy who is batting at the other end,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.
Throughout the series, Konstas had altercations with Indian players. His first major incident occurred at the iconic MCG during the Boxing Day Test when he was involved in a bumping exchange with Virat Kohli. Usman Khawaja, who was batting at the other end, was seen trying to calm things down.
Following the incident, Virat Kohli was fined 20 percent of his match fee and handed one demerit point.
“It is a tough sport played by tough men. These things happen. A lot of Australian players have done that in the past,” Gambhir said.
When asked about Konstas’ future, Gambhir felt the young opener needed to keep improving, stating, “I am sure that is why he is playing Test cricket. Sometimes, you can’t go on and keep smashing from the first ball. You have to respect red-ball cricket. You have to learn from your experiences. Test cricket is about improving every day.”
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