Ricky Ponting Praises Sam Konstas Before 4th Test: Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting backs the newest Australian Cricket Team opener, Sam Konstas, ahead of the fourth Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where the youngster will most likely make his international debut.
The 19-year-old Sam was brought into the team as a replacement for Nathan McSweeney. Australia played McSweeney, who is otherwise a middle-order batter and sent him out to open in the first three Australia vs India Tests. But as he struggled to make big runs, Konstas, who first made his mark during the 2024 U-19 World Cup, has now come in as his replacement for the remaining two Tests.
Sam Konstas, who is a young opener from New South Wales, is already making waves at the domestic level in Australian cricket. In the Sheffield Shield for NSW, he has scored 271 runs in eight innings with an average of 58.87 and two centuries. This season, he is also playing in the Big Bash League for the first time. In his debut, he scored a quickfire 50 while opening for the Sydney Thunder.
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His exploits in the Sheffield Shield resulted in Konstas being included in the Australia A squad against India A. He was also a part of the Prime Minister’s XI against India, scoring a ton in the sole one-day match for PMXI.
With all that being the case, and the Australian Cricket Team struggling to find an opener ever since David Warner retired about a year ago, Konstas seems to be a perfect fit for this side.
This sentiment is also shared by Ricky Ponting, who won three World Cups in a row with Australia, two of them as the captain in 2003 and 2007. In his cricket career, he was among the greatest batters of all time. Now, after retirement, he is a successful coach and commentator.
Ricky Ponting Praises Sam Konstas Before 4th Test
In the most recent episode of the ICC Review, Ponting discussed how Sam Konstas’ talent is obvious, which can be seen by his recent domestic performances.
“I’ve seen a lot; there’s a lot of talent there, no doubt about it. The way he played in the PM’s XI game, the way that he was able to approach his first BBL game the other night… I know it’s different formats, but you can see that the talent is there, and there’s also a bit of an attitude to go with it. And not a bad attitude, (but) an attitude that he knows that he’s good and he wants to show the world that he’s good,” said Ponting.
However, Ponting then went on to warn the 19-year-old that he would be facing some of the best bowlers in the world in the fourth Test match against India, saying,
“There’s still a challenge there. It’s a Test match. It’s your first Test match. You’re playing against some of the best bowlers in the world. It probably doesn’t get any bigger in world cricket right now. It’s like any other country debuting an opening batsman against our bowling attack when you’ve got Starc, Cummins, and Hazelwood there.”
The fourth India vs Australia Test match will commence on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a Boxing Day Test.
After three Tests, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy stands at 1-1. The remainder of the two matches, in Melbourne and Sydney, respectively, will not only determine the outcome of this series but also the equation for the 2025 World Test Championship final, to be played in England in June of next year.
Check Out: Ricky Ponting Praises Sam Konstas Before 4th Test
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