New Delhi, Dec 25
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting believes Sam Konstas has it in him to make his mark on Test debut against India, saying the teenaged batter has the attitude in him to show the world that he's good.
Konstas, 19, is set to make his Test debut against India in the Boxing Day Test starting on Thursday in front of more than 90,000 fans at a sweltering Melbourne Cricket Ground after being called into the squad at the expense of Nathan McSweeney.
Konstas, a member of the Australia-winning 2024 U19 Men's World Cup team, scored a century while playing for the Prime Minister's XI against India in the warm-up pink-ball match at Manuka Oval in Canberra. In 11 first-class matches, Konstas has scored 718 runs at an average of 42.2, including two centuries and three fifties.
"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 (he scored 107 against the Indians), 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 on The ICC Review show.
Talking about the challenge Konstas will face against India's fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Ponting stated, "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. Bumrah has obviously been the standout and probably the leading fast bowler in Test cricket at the moment. So Konstas will have a great challenge there, no doubt about it."
Ponting further expressed confidence in Konstas stepping up for the fight, especially with the five-game series tied at 1-1. "I don't think he's the sort of guy who'd be too worried about it. I think he'll be excited by it. He'll want to try and put some pressure back on with the way that he plays.
"Like he's not anyone that's going to sit there and be five off 50 balls. He's either going to be up and going or he's going to be out a bit earlier on than that. He'll try and find ways to impose himself on the contest, which is one of the things I think everyone likes about him."