Since current captain Pat Cummins took the field against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011, Sam Konstas will become Australia’s youngest Test debutant.
Coach Andrew McDonald stated on Tuesday that he is confident that star batter Travis Head would be able to play and that Sam Konstas will open the batting for Australia against India in the fourth Test. After only three Test matches, selectors benched Nathan McSweeney, and Konstas, then 19 years old, was called up to defend against Indian pace leader Jasprit Bumrah and a struggling Usman Khawaja. McDonald told reporters, “He’ll play Boxing Day,” describing the adolescent as “composed, relaxed.”From the beginning, up until this summer, we made it clear that age was not a barrier and that we would not back down.
“What he has demonstrated is a variety of shots and the capacity to exert pressure on his opponents while obtaining his opportunity.
“Really excited for him — Boxing Day, the biggest stage.”
Konstas will be the youngest Test player to debut for Australia since Pat Cummins, the current captain, faced South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011.
With 90,000 spectators anticipated at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and temperatures predicted to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday, it might be a baptism of fire.
After becoming the youngest player to achieve two hundreds in a single Sheffield Shield match since Ricky Ponting, Konstas pushed himself into the spotlight.
In addition, he scored a century when playing against India for the Prime Minister’s XI.
India won by 295 runs in Perth and lost by 10 wickets in Adelaide, leaving the five-match series equal at one. The third Test in Brisbane was drawn due to the weather.Head is the series’ top scorer, racking up aggressive hundreds at Adelaide and Brisbane. However, at the Gabba, he had a slight strain to his thigh.
McDonald stated that Head still had “some things to work through,” but he still anticipated him to play.
He went on to say, “I’m pretty confident he’ll play,”
“He has been capable of running. He should be completely operational by game time, in my opinion.
