Follow UsSam Konstas is the ‘real definition’ of new-gen cricketers, as the Australian opener ramped, scooped and reverse scooped Jasprit Bumrah on his Test debut. While his form has seen a severe dip since then, the New South Welshman has found his mojo back with a sizzling stroke-filled century against India A in Lucknow.
According to reports, Konstas didn’t shy away from employing his reverse scoop, with an attempt as early as the first over of the day against Prasidh Krishna. The right-hander showed his attacking prowess for the rest of the day, smashing a 144-ball 109, including hitting 10 fours and three sixes.
In the aftermath of this stellar knock, former Australian captain and now Australia ‘A’ coach, Tim Paine, stated that Konstas is going to be a star in international cricket one day.
“In Australia, we know he [Konstas] has a lot of talent, and we believe he’s going to be a star in international cricket someday. Right now, he’s still figuring out the best way to play — when to be aggressive and when to trust his defence,” Paine had told the media on the eve of the match, reported Sportstar.
“We’ll encourage him this series to back his instincts. There will be times in India when it’s tough and he’ll need to soak up pressure, but when he’s feeling good and on top, we want him to go hard and put the opposition under pressure,” Paine added.
It was a much-needed knock for Konstas, on a personal level, after a string of poor scores – 3, 5, 25, 0, 17 & 0.
“I think at times you’ll see glimpses of that. He’s exciting — you don’t always know what you’re going to get from him, and that’s part of the fun of watching him,” Paine added.
Konstas too spoke about his knock, stating that he had to face quite a ‘few mental demons’ to get through the conditions early on at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
“It’s good spending time in the middle today,” Konstas said after the opening day. “I felt like I had to face quite a few mental demons just to get through that. There were obviously different challenges, and it was all about trying to adapt to the conditions,” he added.
"So super stoked and hopefully can build on from that.
"I thought early on [the pitch] had a bit of nip … then spin wise, it didn't spin as much so just backed in my instincts and tried to rinse and repeat each ball with my process."
Cover Image Courtesy: Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA)