New Delhi, Jan 7 New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd, who is also a mentor of Sam Konstas, has praised the young Australian opener's attacking play in Tests, saying his style will see him stay in the team for a long time.
Konstas made his Australia Test debut in the Boxing Day Test against India at Melbourne Cricket Ground, replacing Nathan McSweeney, and scored 60 off 65 balls, scooping Jasprit Bumrah for fun in the early passage of play, leaving everyone enthralled. Though Bumrah took him out in the second innings, Konstas has left everyone in Australia excited about the player he can be in the future.
"I wouldn't use the word arrogance to describe him in anyway shape or form. I guess Sam’s taken the really aggressive route and was to play some shots that we would call T20 cricket but that was his form of problem-solving in the moment," Shipperd said on SEN Mornings.
Konstas drew criticisms for his batting approach after being dismissed cheaply in the next three innings, but Shipperd feels he will be around for a long time in the red-ball format.
"It could be described as chaotic by a lot of people, but I think over time we… will add the craftsmanship to that particular approach. We've started a player off…. and he’s gonna be around for a long time," he said.
The 19-year-old opener also found himself at the center of an on-field confrontation with India star Virat Kohli during a gripping session of play when Konstas was in the midst of an impressive innings and Kohli bumped into the youngster in between overs.
However, Kohli was later fined 20 per cent of his match fee and received one demerit point for breaching Level 1 of its Code of Conduct.
Shipperd, who coached Konstas at Sheffield Shield level, didn’t mince words while addressing the incident and said, "I think it was a disgraceful act and should have been punished far more severely than it was."
During the Sydney Test, Konstas was given a send-off by Indian players, with captain Bumrah staring at him after he took Usman Khawaja's wicket on the last ball of day one’s play.
Konstas exchanged words with the fiery Indian pacer, a move that visibly unsettled the visitors. Bumrah and his teammates retaliated aggressively, crowding the teenager after Bumrah dismissed Khawaja.
“He or the circumstance got under the skin of Jasprit, and the team response was super aggressive towards him. I think he’ll walk through that and look forward to his next opportunity in Sri Lanka," Shipperd concluded.
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