The 19-year-old Sam Konstas will make his Test debut for Australia in the Boxing Day Test against India. He will have a dream debut as he opens the batting for Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald revealed Konstas’ debut in the press conference on Tuesday. He said Tony Dodemaide, Australia’s selector, informed Konstas about drafting him in the squad for the fourth Test.
Once Konstas makes his debut, he will become the fourth-youngest to get a Baggy Green cap. He will be 19 years and 85 days old on the first day of the MCG Test.
“We said from the get go, when leading into the summer, that we wouldn’t shy away, and age was no barrier. And what he’s shown is an array of shots, the ability to put pressure back on to opponents and he gets his opportunity. We’re really excited for him,” McDonald said on Konstas’ debut.
Konstas Replaces Nathan McSweeney in the Squad
Following the retirement of David Warner earlier this year, the Australian management is on the lookout for a reliable opener. Steven Smith also tried his hands at the opening spot, but things didn’t materialise, and he was back in the middle order.
So, the selectors brought in Nathan McSweeney for the BGT series, who made his debut in Perth. But after three appearances and the scores of 10, 0, 29, 10*, 9, 4, the selectors decided to drop him.
Read Also:- Nathan McSweeney Dropped for Boxing Day Test
And now Konstas comes in place of him to pair with Usman Khawaja, who is also out of form. The youngster, though, made a case for himself after slamming 107 for Prime Minister XI against India in the warmup pink-ball match.
Konstas hasn’t played a lot of first-class cricket, but his name popped up among the potential openers after he scored twin hundreds in a Sheffield Shield match this season. Thus far, the right-hand batter has 11 first-class games under his belt, with 718 runs at an average of 42.23.
As he makes his Test debut, he will have to negate the threat of the Indian bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah. The BGT is level at 1-1 going into the Boxing Day Test.
