New Delhi, Jan 26: Veteran Australia opener Usman Khawaja said young Sam Konstas should stay as his opening partner for the upcoming two Tests in Sri Lanka, adding that he agrees with the view expressed earlier by Ricky Ponting of retaining the youngster's place at top of the order.
Konstas made 113 in his first two Tests against India, averaging 28.25 and enthralling everyone with a rollicking 60 off 65 balls on debut in the Boxing Day match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. But with word going around Australia considering to open with Travis Head, Khawaja has backed Konstas to continue opening the batting when the first Test begins in Galle on January 29.
"I'm very conservative in that nature - I'm a bit the same (as Ponting), you've got two openers so open with them. I've always been that nature because I've been on so many subcontinent tours and been shuffled or dropped, and I don't necessarily agree with that. You've got your best team, so stick with it. Let them learn in all different conditions and then whatever happens from there, is there," said Khawaja to reporters in Colombo on Sunday.
With youngsters like Konstas, Nathan McSweeney and Cooper Connolly in the Test team, it also signals that Australia are starting the transition period. "You've got to be yourself. 19 is young - I could not even imagine myself being thrust into the Australian team at that age."
"It's a steep learning curve, so he's going to have some steep learning curves throughout his career. He's going to learn a lot about his game and himself, go through ups and downs. The beauty of Sam is he's very easy to talk to, (and) very receptive to feedback, which is a great trait to have."
"The younger generation have this air of confidence about them these days - Sam, Nath, Cooper, even - they're really receptive, [and] eager to learn. You be yourself, but they're also able to quieten down and listen when the time is right," added Khawaja.
Speaking about how long his Test career will last, Khawaja remarked, "Over the next three to four years, there's going to be a lot of transition going on. I'm quite attuned to that and I still want to play and I want to keep playing for as long as I can."
"But I also know there might be a right time to slip out. If I'm still playing and the selectors are like, 'We feel like the time's come', it's, 'You let me know and I can slide out'. There's definitely those thoughts (bowing out in Sydney) in my head, I'm not afraid to talk about that. I'm human."
"I'd still like to play the Ashes at a bare minimum. I try not to think too far ahead, that's as far ahead as I'll think. As long as we're winning, I'm still contributing, my body's still feeling good, I'll play. For me it always feels more like one summer at a time (rather than retiring after the Ashes)."
