After being unveiled as the 64th inductee into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, former captain Michael Clarke has backed young Sam Konstas to retain his spot in the playing eleven as an opener in the upcoming Test tour of Sri Lanka. With Australia considering to have Travis Head as the opening partner alongside Usman Khawaja, it would mean that Konstas may miss out on a spot in the playing eleven for the first Test starting in Galle on January 29.

But Clarke believes Australia should avoid tinkering with the batting order that won them Tests at the MCG and SCG against India. “I think he (Konstas) would be happy to play. I don’t think we need too much (change) in terms of structure.”

“We’ve just come off a win. Conditions are very different but Trav has been extraordinary through the middle order. The other thing is I don’t think it’s going to matter. If you’re going to open the batting, you’re going to start against spin. If you bat five, you’re going to walk in against spin.”

“Get used to facing spin bowling because you’ll get two Test matches of it. Sam’s an enormous talent and I think Australian cricket continues to produce young, talented players in men’s and women’s cricket. You learn so many things by having good senior players around you. Sam is one of the examples where he’s lucky to have these senior players around him,” said Clarke to reporters at the SCG.

Clarke, who was the last Australian captain to win a Test series in Sri Lanka, also felt having a fit captain in Steve Smith, who is progressing well from a minor elbow injury sustained in the Big Bash League (BBL), would be a major boost for the visitors.

“He’s so important for us over there in those conditions with the way he plays spin and his knowledge of the game. I assume Australia will play at least two spinners. I’d be surprised if Sri Lanka played more than two quicks.”

“They might just play one. There’s some youngsters around (the Australian setup) to learn the ropes… and see Sri Lankan conditions. It’s very different to anywhere else in the world,” he concluded.

Australia opener Sam Konstas made his Test debut in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 and took the scene by storm. Right from the get go, Konstas went on the offensive against the Indian attack, even taking on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and hitting him for two sixes. He also had his fair share of fiery run-ins and exchanges with Bumrah and Virat Kohli, with opening partner Usman Khawaja even calling him “arrogant, but endearing”, among other experts and fans branding him the same. Now Konstas has reacted to being called arrogant.

“It’s interesting seeing how people view me on the field. Some think I’m arrogant but I feel like I’m just pretty confident and just back my skills,” Konstas said, speaking to Australia-based media outlet Seven News.

Konstas clashed shoulders with Kohli during his debut innings, which saw the India stalwart fined 20 per cent of his match fees and handed an ICC demerit point.

In the fifth Test, Konstas and Bumrah were engaged in a war of words, after Khawaja had taken too long fixing his stance.

However, Konstas said that he is driven by a promise he made to his mother when he was just five years old.

“When I was five, I told her I’m going to be the best player in the world,” Konstas said.

Konstas’ fiery batting and attitude lit a fire amongst not just the team, but seemingly also among fans watching at home.

“People would text me and say I’m watching cricket again because of you. I got very happy hearing people say that to me,” Konstas said.

Konstas hit 60 off 65 balls in his debut Test innings, reverse ramping Bumrah for the first six against him in four years. Australia went on to win both the fourth and the fifth Test, winning back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years.