"Hopefully, one day I can face him and see how we go" - Sam Konstas aspires to face Jasprit Bumrah after heroics in pink-ball warm-up match
Young Australian batter Sam Konstas made a massive statement after his convincing ton against India while playing for the Prime Minister's XI in a pink-ball warm-up clash in Canberra. The opener looked at ease against the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep and could prove to be the answer to Australia's current top-order woes.
The 19-year-old looked assured against the pink ball and the Indian seamers, but could not avail the opportunity to face Jasprit Bumrah. The Indian pacer was not part of the warm-up contest after his match-winning heroics in the series opener in Perth.
Bumrah has proven to be a handful with the new ball so far, dismissing Nathan McSweeney on both occasions and accounting for the wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith in the first Test.
“I was watching quite a bit. Bumrah is a skilful player, obviously, and probably the best in the world. Hopefully, one day I can face him and see how we go. I feel confident [in my game]. I’ve been training really hard and it’s a great opportunity to play against the best players," Konstas said after the warm-up match against India (via WA Today).
Konstas rose to prominence after being part of the 2024 U-19 World Cup winning squad and then made a prolific start in the Sheffield Shield for New South Wales. He was in contention for the vacancy at the top of the order for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but was beaten to it by Nathan McSweeney.
“I’ve been practicing it a little bit with Tim Paine" - Sam Konstas on the unorthodox reverse ramp shots
While Konstas exuded class and aggression throughout the innings, he decided to mix things up with a couple of unexpected reverse ramp shots, which were executed to perfection. The Indians were caught off guard by those strokes, which went for boundaries.
“I’ve been practicing it a little bit with Tim Paine, but yeah, good to get a few away. Tim just told us to have good intent and put pressure on them and treat it like a 46-over game. So I was just trying to keep things simple and just trying to stick to my plans," Konstas added in the same interaction.
The teenager smashed 107 runs off 97 deliveries at a strike rate of 110.31 the aid of 14 fours and a six.