Teen Konstas to open for Australia in Boxing Day India Test

AFP | Melbourne

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Sam Konstas will open the batting for Australia in the fourth Test against India, coach Andrew McDonald said yesterday, while voicing confidence leading batsman Travis Head will be fit to play.

Konstas was called up after selectors dumped Nathan McSweeney after just three Tests, with the 19-year-old tasked with fending off Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah alongside an under-performing Usman Khawaja.

“He’ll play Boxing Day,” McDonald told reporters, referring to the teenager as “composed, relaxed”.

“We have said from the get-go, leading into this summer, that we wouldn’t shy away and age was no barrier.

“What he’s shown is an array of shots and an ability to put pressure back on his opponents and he gets his opportunity.

“Really excited for him -- Boxing Day, the biggest stage.” Konstas will become Australia’s youngest Test debutant since current skipper Pat Cummins took the field against South Africa at Johannesburg in 2011. It could be a baptism of fire, with an expected 90,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and temperatures forecast to reach 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Thursday.

Konstas thrust himself into the frame after becoming the youngest player since Ricky Ponting to score two centuries in the same Sheffield Shield match.