Sam Konstas will become Australia’s youngest Test debutant since current captain Pat Cummins, who debuted against South Africa in 2011. The 19-year-old has been confirmed to open the batting for Australia in the fourth Test against India, which starts on Thursday, by coach Andrew McDonald.
Konstas has come in for Nathan McSweeney, who was axed after just three Tests. He has his work cut out against India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, as does the under-performing Usman Khawaja.
But McDonald has backed Konstas to rise to the challenge, saying the debutant was “composed” and “relax “He’ll play Boxing Day,” McDonald said, making clear just how invested his team has become in the youth and talent. “What he’s shown is an array of shots and an ability to put pressure back on his opponents.”
It’s a pretty big day for a debut-some 90,000 people are predicted to flood Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch the game where temperatures may go as high as 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Konstas was picked after becoming the youngest player since Ricky Ponting to make two hundreds in a single Sheffield Shield game. He also hit a hundred for the Prime Minister’s XI against India.
The five-match series is tied 1-1 as India won the first Test in Perth by 295 runs, while Australia won the Adelaide Test with a 10-wicket verdict. The third Test in Brisbane got washed out without a ball being bowled.
Travis Head has been the leading run-scorer in the series so far with aggressive hundreds in Adelaide and Brisbane but suffered a minor thigh strain at the Gabba. McDonald, though, was confident of his return: “I think he will play,” he said, adding that Head had been able to run and should be fully functional by game time.
