Sam Konstas said he didn’t realise Virat Kohli would give him a ‘shoulder charge’ when he was just taking care of his gloves after the end of the over.
Australia opener Sam Konstas gave his first reaction to a shoulder shove he got from India legend Virat Kohli on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test at the CG in Melbourne. The debutant said emotions got the better of him and Virat Kohli as they were involved in a heated altercation that got the cricket world debating whether ICC should take strict against the former India captain. Ricky Ponting and Michael Vaughan said Kohli was the one to be blamed and ICC match referee Andy Pycroft should definitely look into the matter.
Konstas said he didn’t realise as he was just taking care of his gloves after the end of the over. “I think emotions got to both of us. I didn’t realise. I was just doing my gloves when I got the little shoulder charge but it happens in cricket,” the debutant told Channel 7.
The brief showdown took place after the completion of the 10th over of the Australian innings when the players were crossing over. Kohli and Konstas bumped shoulders while moving across the pitch.
Both players quickly turned around to glance at each other and engage in a heated exchange of words with Konstas’ teammate Usman Khawaja stepping in to separate them. The on-field umpires also had a word with the two.
Konstas, who was batting on 27 at the time, went on to hit Jasprit Bumrah for two boundaries and a six in the next over.
How Konstas got the better of world’s best bowler Bumrah
The 19-year-old scored a stunning fifty on debut before Ravindra Jadeja trapped him leg before wicket for 60. Konstas, the youngest debutant for Australia since Pat Cummins in 2011, got his fifty off just 52 balls and decided to celebrate by pointing to the Australian badge on his shoulder and the name behind his shirt.
“It was a little nod to the Konstas family. They have made a lot of sacrifices to get me here. I had goosebumps when I raised the bat. Everyone was supporting me. It was a great atmosphere,” he said.
Konstas was severe on world no.1 bowler Bumrah, hitting him for four fours and a six in his innings. He took 14 runs and 18 runs of the last two overs of Bumrah’s spell. The 34 runs that Konstas scored against Bumrah is the most the Indian pacer has conceded to any batter in a single spell in Test cricket.
Konstas played the reverse ramp to good effect to completely throw Bumrah off his length. The teenager, who replaced Nathan McSweeney in the Australian XI, said it wasn’t a plan. It was something he decided after being by Bumrah on a few occasions in the first over of the match.
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