Sam Konstas has spoken about his much-talked about altercation with Indian star Jasprit Bumrah during the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground last week.
Going up against some of the biggest superstars of the game like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah could be intimidating for any player, especially a 19-year-old making his debut. However, Sam Konstas showed he is not your ordinary 19-year-old as he rose to the occasion.
After becoming the youngest batsman to open the innings for Australia in Tests, the right-handed batsman stunned the cricket world by smashing a quickfire fifty. He took Jasprit Bumrah to the cleaners as he scored 60 runs off 65 balls in his first Test outing.
However, the focus soon shifted from Sam Konstas’ batting to his controversies with Indian players, especially Kohli and Bumrah. During the Melbourne Test, he was shouldered by Kohli before engaging in a war of words with Bumrah during the fifth Test.
Towards the end of the second day, Konstas decided to get under Bumrah’s skin. As India’s pace spearhead prepared to deliver the ball, Konstas, while standing at the non-striker’s end, said something to the bowler.
Bumrah, who rarely loses his cool on the field, looked none too pleased and charged towards Konstas while saying something in a dramatic manner. The referee then quickly intervened and brought the situation under control. The Indian star had the last laugh as he dismissed Usman Khawaja on the very next ball before turning to Konsta and giving him a death stare.
Sam Konstas in a row with Jasprit Bumrah:
Even though it was Sam Konstas who started it all in the Sydney Test, Jasprit Bumrah is coming under fire from many quarters. Many are of the opinion that the senior paceman should have ignored the youngster. However, the Australian youngster has now admitted it was his fault.
Konstas also admitted that Khawaja was deliberately wasting time before crediting Bumrah for taking the wicket.
“Oh, I wasn’t too scared. Unfortunately, Uzi got out. He was trying to buy some time. It was probably my fault, but it happens. It’s cricket. Credit to Bumrah. He got the wicket, but obviously a great performance from the team,” said Sam Konstas on Triple M.
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Meanwhile, Australia won the five-match series 3-1 to end their ten-year wait for a series win over India. They had not won a Test series against India since the 2014/15 season. The big win also helped them book a place in the World Test Championship final for the second consecutive time.
They will face South Africa in the final, which will be held in June this year. Before that, Australia is also set to play two more Tests in the ongoing WTC cycle. They will face Sri Lanka in their last assignment of the ongoing cycle.
