New Delhi, Feb 4 Australian cricket great Ian Healy has also weighed in, backing the calls for sending Sam Konstas back home from the Sri Lanka tour so that the youngster can play some important Sheffield Shield matches ahead of the World Test Championship later this year.
Konstas made a splash recently with a stunning debut performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, including a memorable takedown of Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. However, after featuring in the last two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the 19-year-old was left out of the starting XI for Australia’s big win in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Josh Inglis stepped in for Konstas, while Travis Head moved up to open the batting.
With Australia dominating the hosts in Galle, it's unlikely they'll make any changes for the second Test starting on Thursday. Ian Healy believes Konstas should return home to play for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield, giving him more red-ball experience ahead of the World Test Championship final.
"You don't give just opportunities in a Test team, so they’ll be keeping the same team as long as everyone’s fit. Australia will have the same team, and I like the idea (of sending Konstas home to play First Class)," Healy told SENQ Breakfast.
"He’s had a week in Dubai; he’s had a week or more training in Sri Lanka, watching a Test match and being around the dressing room and seeing how blokes are approaching each session.
“Now, if you're not going to play him, he might as well be back playing for New South Wales and getting more red ball practice is, because they're going to use him in the World Test Championship. He'll come back to be the opening batsman against South Africa, so he's got to get some red ball cricket under his belt," he added.
Healy feels that the past few weeks would have been a valuable learning experience for Konstas, which allowed him to understand what it takes to thrive in overseas conditions.
“He would get stuff out of it. Even just to see the grind of Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja how he went out again and approached it right from ball one on the fifth session that he'd batted, it’s those types of things.
“He would have listened to the strategies and participated in the strategies, so he would have learned," Healy said.
Earlier, former wicketkeeper Brad Haddin had said Konstas should return to New South Wales to play in their upcoming Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland at the Gabba.
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