After Sam Konstas' Brilliant Debut, Ex-Australia Star Demands More "Bravery" From Senior Batters

Lavishing praise on young Sam Konstas, former opener David Warner has urged Australia's senior players to adopt a similar aggressive approach when facing Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has been a dominant force with the ball in the ongoing series. The 19-year-old Konstas played some stunning scoops and laps off Bumrah en route to a 65-ball 60 on his Test debut during the fourth Test at Melbourne, which the Aussies won by 184 runs on Monday. "It was very special. People are going to criticise him as well. That's the nature of the beast, that's the way he is going to play," Warner told AAP.

"When someone like Bumrah is bowling to you, you have to try and execute somehow. They put a third-man in and fine leg to him and bowled him through the gate (in the second innings).

"He will look back on that and go ‘what a great experience in the Boxing Day Test'. He now gets to come here for New Year's Test.” Konstas had scored 107 off 97 balls against India for the Prime Minister's XI. He had also scored an unbeaten 73 at the MCG against India A, besides making two centuries in the Sheffield Shield and a record-breaking 50 on debut for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League.

"What he did in the Prime Minister's XI shows he has that talent. But it also shows he is brave." "Him being brave at the top of the order, you've got guys who have played 50 Tests, they could have been brave as well, they could have played different shots, they could have moved out of their crease and batted different." Warner added that while players like Steve Smith had experimented with various approaches, it shouldn't take a newcomer's boldness to shift the momentum.

"Smudge (Steve Smith) tried a million different things. But it shouldn't take someone to come out there and be brave to get that momentum shifting. You have experience at the top of the order, experience in that whole line up," Warner said.

"Travis Head took the game away from them in Adelaide with that magnificent hundred. It shouldn't take that guy just to come and do that. It's the way the Australians played but other people can be braver as well.”

Bumrah is a genius

Bumrah on Sunday became the second fastest Indian along with Ravindra Jadeja to complete 200 Test wickets and the first bowler ever to reach that milestone with a sub-20 average during the fourth day's play of the fourth Test.

The India speedstar has taken 30 wickets at an average of just 12.83 this series, including nine wickets in Melbourne.

"You're also hoping Bumrah gets it off that handkerchief, he's a genius. He is averaging under 20. His record is incredible,” Warner said.

"To put him off that is tough. You can't just try and negate that. ‘Uzzy' (Usman Khawaja) managed to face two balls in his first spell. That's luck batters need as well.

"Fortunately for him, he got a half-century. Hopefully that builds momentum and gives him that positive energy to come into Sydney where he's got a good record as well." 

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Topics mentioned in this article

Sam Konstas David Warner Steven Smith Usman Khawaja Mitchell Marsh Marnus Labuschagne Travis Head Australia Cricket Team Jasprit Bumrah Australia vs India 2024/25