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Australia head coach Andrew McDonald on Tuesday confirmed that young batting sensation Sam Konstas will make his Test debut at Melbourne Cricket Ground in the upcoming fourth Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against India, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
McDonald heaped praise on Konstas and said that he has shown an array of shots with the U19 side of Australia. Konstas received his maiden call-up from the national team as host Australia announced their Test squad for the remaining two matches of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 which are set to be played in Melbourne and Sydney. The series is currently tied at 1-1 after India secured a draw in the third Test in Brisbane. The Boxing Day Test will kick off on December 26 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, McDonald said that the age was no barrier for the U19 batter Konstas. He hailed the youngster for his ability to put pressure back on the opponents. "We said from the get go, when leading into the summer, that we wouldn't shy away, and age was no barrier. And what he's shown is an array of shots, the ability to put pressure back on to opponents and he gets his opportunity. We're really excited for him," McDonald was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying. Konstas played a vital role in Australia's ICC U19 World Cup 2024 triumph, scoring 191 runs in seven innings at an average of 27.28, including a century. He also featured in a two-match series between Australia A and India A ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring 92 runs in four innings, highlighted by a match-winning 73*. In the warm-up pink-ball game against India, he stamped his authority with a classy 107 off 97 balls against a formidable Indian attack. In the ongoing Sheffield Shield season, Konstas is the fifth-highest run-getter with 471 runs in five matches at an average of 58.87, including two centuries and a fifty, with a best score of 152. Earlier last week, Australia made a couple of changes to its squad, addressing the absence of Josh Hazlewood and concerns in the top order. The hosts have added Beau Webster, Jhye Richardson, and Sam Konstas to the squad before the fourth Test match of the series. India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (C), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (VC), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster. (ANI)
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