Melbourne, Dec 26 The foundation of Sam Konstas’ whirlwind 60 off 65 balls on his Australia Test debut against India in the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was of the teenager playing ramp shots and taking down the lethal Jasprit Bumrah in a way no one ever thought would happen.
Revelling in the joy of Konstas’ hitting a breathtaking half-century on debut have been his family members, including his elder brother Billy. “In the backyard, we did have the auto-wicketkeeper, so the ramp (shot) was out of play. I didn’t know what to expect, to be honest with you.
"I was shaking, my heart rate was up, and I was like, ‘Sammy, straight bat, straight bat’, but yeah … it works! We had no expectation coming into today. We were just taking it moment by moment," said Billy on SEN Radio.
Asked about his view on Konstas’ shoulder collision with Virat Kohli, Billy said, "I didn’t mind it – it added a bit of a spectacle to cricket, a bit of rugby league action going on in the cricket space. Out on the field (Sam) has got such a hard exterior, but off the field he’s such a humble guy."
Billy, a physiotherapist by profession, stated Sam always had the ability to be a three-format player for Australia, but the teenager recently found a way to bring his full array of shots towards red-ball cricket.
“He had all the gears from a young age … I just think learning how to shift through the gears has developed quite recently, in terms of being confident enough to play 360 (degrees). I think the key for Sam is his bad days and good days look very similar. He scores a hundred or gets out for a duck, he’ll come home same attitude, same mindset, so I think that’s the key. Don’t ride the highs and lows of the sport, just be present."
Konstas had already made fans go gaga at the MCG when he sported a broad grin during the Australian national anthem after seeing himself on the giant screen. “He was in the school choir in primary school, so he loves to sing loudly, but not very well," concluded Billy.
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