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Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting believes 19-year-old Sam Konstas has what it takes to make a mark in the Tests against India, saying that the youngster has not only a lot of talent but also "attitude to go with it".
With the Border-Gavaskar Series evenly poised at 1-1 heading into the final two Tests, Australia made changes to their squad with Konstas being called up in place of Nathan McSweeney. Konstas, 19, will now make his international debut as both teams chase an unassailable lead as well as all-important ICC World Test Championship points. "I have seen a lot, there is a lot of talent there no doubt about it," Ponting told The ICC Review as quoted by ICC. "The way he played in the PM's XI game (he scored 107 against the Indians), the way that he was able to approach his first BBL game the other night ... I know it is different formats, but you can see that the talent is there and there is also a bit of an attitude to go with it." "And not a bad attitude, (but) an attitude that he knows that he is good and he wants to show the world that he is good," he concluded. Featuring for the Prime Minister's XI in a two-day game against the touring Indians after the Perth Test, Konstas attracted the spotlight with a century against the visiting side. In his 11 first-class matches Konstas has scored 718 runs at an average of 42.2, including two centuries and three half-centuries. However, for all his early success, Ponting emphasised the uncapped batter would still feel the jitters on his debut - especially when facing up to the No.1-ranked ICC Test bowler Jasprit Bumrah. "There is still a challenge there. It is a Test match. It is your first Test match. You are playing against some of the best bowlers in the world," he said. "It probably does not get any bigger in world cricket right now. It is like any other country debuting an opening batsman against our bowling attack, when you have got Starc, Cummins and Hazelwood there." "Bumrah has obviously been the standout and probably the leading fast bowler in Test cricket at the moment. So Konstas will have a great challenge there, no doubt about it," he added. But Ponting is confident Konstas will be up for the fight. "I don't think he is the sort of guy who would be too worried about it. I think he will be excited by it. He will want to try and put some pressure back on with the way that he plays." "Like he is not anyone that is going to sit there and be five off 50 balls. He is either going to be up and going or he is going to be out a bit earlier on than that." "He will try and find ways to impose himself on the contest, which is one of the things I think everyone likes about him," he concluded. 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. The fourth Test between Australia and India will begin on Thursday. (ANI)
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