Melbourne: Australia desperately want someone to counter Jasprit Bumrah. India’s pace spearhead has been running through their batting line-up for fun in the series and the hosts haven’t really managed to get back at him in any way. It’s one-way traffic of the scary kind.
So, despite opener Nathan McSweeney not doing much worse compared to Usman Khawaja, Australia dumped the former and brought in a 19-year-old whose belief and fearlessness sets him apart. Sam Konstas, all of 11 first-class matches old, backs himself — for he doesn’t know what fear is yet, and against Bumrah that might be a good thing.
“I think you still always wanna do well,” said Cummins, who made his debut as an 18-year-old in 2011. “I was saying this to Sam the other day, I remember as an 18-year-old I was thinking I’ve got a lot more leeway because I was young. I almost felt like if I didn’t have a great game it wasn’t my fault, it was the selector’s fault for picking me. I was like, “well, they’re the idiots that picked an 18-year-old. You are so young starting out your career, it’s Boxing Day, it doesn’t get any better than this, so just enjoy the moment”.”
And enjoying the moment is something that Konstas finds a way of doing. He scored a century against the Indians in the one-day tour game (Bumrah didn’t play), but it was his unbeaten 73 against India ‘A’ at Melbourne in November that was perhaps the more impressive innings.
Not very often does Australia hand debuts to young cricketers. They usually like them tried and tested Down Under. So, when someone does come through the ranks, you know that there is something about them. Konstas will be their youngest ever Test opener and he will have Cummins to guide him.
“I spent a bit of time wondering why or how I was there, how it had happened so quick,” said Cummins. “I just remember being really excited and it’s similar to Sammy this week. There’s a level of naivety that you just want to go out and play like you do when you are a kid in the backyard – take the game on, have fun, and not overthink it.
“That’s the message to Sam. That’s definitely how I felt as an 18-year-old, just really excited, and once the game started you go into game mode and it’s just like any other game.”
One particular memory from his debut has stayed with Cummins: “In my debut I remember trying to hit Dale Steyn over his head for runs and just thought that made sense at the time; now I look back and it’s like “geez, I’d have been crucified if that hadn’t come off”, so I think there is some benefit in that naivety.”
Of course, the naivety doesn’t last long. Or at least, the Indian attack will be keen to get back at him for that knock in the tour game where he went from 13 to 76 in 38 balls. In that sense, Konstas is also a batter they have got a good look at. So, nothing he throws at the Indian team will not have been seen before.
But from what we have seen is that he will go at the bowlers if he feels the ball is there to be hit. There will be no holding back from a batter who believes he is destined for big things. Sometimes, belief is what makes the difference.
Many still remember Steve Waugh’s unremarkable debut in the Boxing Day Test mainly because of how he evolved after that, and Brett Lee’s five-fer against India on debut in 1999 hasn’t been forgotten either. If anything, they are markers that show how Konstas is just at the starting line now. The ending is still to be decided.
