Sam Konstas Discusses Confrontations with Kohli and Bumrah During Border-Gavaskar Series
Australian teenage sensation Sam Konstas has opened up about his experiences during the Border-Gavaskar series, including the confrontations he had with Indian stars Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah.
New Delhi: Australian teenage sensation Sam Konstas has opened up about his experiences during the Border-Gavaskar series, including the confrontations he had with Indian stars Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. He also shared details of a conversation he had with Kohli following the shoulder-bump incident during the Boxing Day Test.
Konstas made his Australia Test debut in the Boxing Day Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, replacing Nathan McSweeney. The 19-year-old impressed with a knock of 60 off 65 balls, even managing to scoop Jasprit Bumrah for fun early on. While Bumrah took him out in the second innings, Konstas has left a strong impression, generating excitement about his future in Australian cricket.
“It was my first time playing in front of 90,000 people on day one at the MCG, and I was like, ‘holy crap, this is surreal. Playing against legends of the game like Kohli and Bumrah and playing with legends like Steve Smith and Pat Cummins, it is what I’ve dreamt of as a kid and I was just trying to soak up every second of it,” Konstas told CODE Sports. “I’m very fortunate as a 19-year-old to be getting that experience and learning from the best.”
During the match, Konstas found himself involved in an on-field confrontation with Kohli after a shoulder-bump incident between overs. Despite the tension, Konstas revealed he approached Kohli after the game to express his admiration for the Indian star. “I had a little chat after the game telling him that I idolise him, and it’s obviously a huge honour playing against him,” Konstas said. “When I did verse him, I was like, ‘wow, Virat Kohli is batting.’ He just had that presence about him, with all the Indian crowd chanting his name. It was quite surreal.”
Konstas added, “He was very down to earth. A lovely person and just wishing me all the best saying hopefully I go well on the tour of Sri Lanka if I’m in. My whole family loves Virat. I’ve idolised him from a young age and he’s a legend of the game.”
In the Sydney Test, Konstas also found himself at the center of a heated moment with Bumrah. He explained that the exchange occurred when he tried to waste time to prevent India from bowling another over before the end of the day. “I feel like I love being in the contest and trying to put my best foot forward. I was trying to waste a little bit of time there so they didn’t get another over,” he said. “But he (Bumrah) had the last laugh. Obviously, he is world-class and took 32 wickets in the series. If that happened again, maybe I wouldn’t have said anything,” Konstas added.
