India failed to intimidate Australia’s rookies: Mitchell Johnson

Once Sam Konstas entered the fray, the spice levels of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy went up a notch. The 18-year-old was constantly in the ears of the Indian batters and faced some verbal volleys from the Indian fielders. 

While it intrigued and fascinated Melbourne, it became ugly in Sydney when the rookie was unsuccessful in preventing the fall of a wicket on day one. Jasprit Bumrah got Usman Khawaja off the last ball after sharing a few words with Konstas. After the wicket, Bumrah grunted an extravagant roar, aimed at the 18-year-old at the non-striker's end. 

However, former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson reckoned that India embraced the ‘two vs 11’ mindset but failed to intimidate the Australian rookies.

"The Indian side appeared to embrace the mindset that it was 'two against 11' out in the middle, aiming to make the Aussie batters feel isolated and under pressure," Johnson wrote in his column for The Nightly. 

"The focus was not just on testing technical skills but also on challenging mental toughness. In Test cricket, it's crucial to create that environment, but their efforts didn't really pay off,” he added. 

Konstas taking on Bumrah in a verbal volley did not earn him applause, as Johnson reckoned it played against Australia. 

"I appreciate what Konstas was trying to do by supporting his teammate, but it was simply the wrong time for that kind of engagement. At that late stage of the day, there could only be one winner," Johnson wrote.

Not just that, the former Australian pacer also opined that the seniors failed the 18-year-old by not giving him enough advice about how one could handle that situation. Konstas, however, had a series to remember, with scores of 60, 8, 23 and 22, making a key difference to Australia at the top of the order. 

"This highlights a crucial aspect of introducing new players to the team: they need the guidance of experienced teammates to understand how to handle various scenarios within the game's dynamics," Johnson added. 

Konstas helped Australia clinch the BGT series for the first time in over a decade.