19 year old leadoff hitter constas himself Will make his debut for Australia boxing day test Against India, replacing Nathan McSweeney who played the first three Tests of the series. And the former Australian captain Ricky Ponting Said he would face a tough challenge against Jasprit Bumrah & Co.
Konstas will be paired with Usman Khawaja at the top as Australia struggle to find a combination that can lay a solid foundation.
Constas, who has played just 11 first-class matches, first came to attention when he scored one goal (107) for Australia’s Premier XI against India in a pink-ball warm-up match in Canberra.
“I’ve seen a lot and there’s no doubt there’s a lot of talent out there,” Ponting told ICC Review.
“The way he played in PM’s XI and the way he was able to handle his first BBL game that night… I know it’s a different format but you could see the talent and there was Some attitudes to go with it.
Ponting added: “It’s not a bad attitude, it’s an attitude where he knows he’s good and wants to show the world that he’s good.”
The former Australia captain admitted that despite Konstas’ natural ability to hit big balls, the young batsman will face considerable challenges during his career.
“There are still challenges there. It’s a Test match. It’s your first Test match. You’re playing against some of the best bowlers in the world,” Ponting said.
“It’s probably not going to get bigger in world cricket now. Like any other country debuting batsmen in our bowling attack, when you have (Mitchell) Starc, (Pat) Cummins and (Josh) Hazlewood when he was there.
“Bumrah is obviously outstanding and is probably the leading fast bowler in Test cricket at the moment. So there is no doubt that Konstas will face a huge challenge there.” A batsman who scored two centuries in Sheffield Shield matches.
Ponting remains optimistic about Constas’ ability to handle pressure and believes he will maintain his attacking style.
“I don’t think he’s the type to worry too much. I think he’ll be excited about it. He’ll want to try and put some pressure on with the way he plays,” Ponting said.
