Ponting and Shastri on the road ahead for Sam Konstas
Sam Konstas emerged as an impressive opening outlet for Australia in turning the tide against India in their recent series win.
While the 19-year-old Sam Konstas made an instant impact in whites for Australia, ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting believes the young batter has a long way to go if he is to cement his status as a Test opener.
Joining Sanjana Ganesan and Ravi Shastri in the latest edition of The ICC Review, Ponting said: “I don't think he can survive as a Test opening batsman playing like that all the time.”
“So he will learn a lot from the first couple of games that he played as a batsman, but just as an international sportsman as well, I think he'll learn a lot.
“It's a big stage and he really enjoyed it at the MCG. But I've seen this happen a lot with young players. They come in, they get overawed by everything a little bit, and it takes them a few games or a few series just to actually work out who they are and who they need to be successful international players.”
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Konstas scored a stunning 60 off 65 deliveries in his first Test innings for Australia, a knock laced with exquisite strokeplay such as a reverse lap for six off Jasprit Bumrah. He was added to the squad in place of Nathan McSweeney, who was only able to score 72 runs in the first three Tests.
Both Konstas and McSweeney have been included in Australia’s squad for the two-Test series in Sri Lanka.
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Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that it was Konstas’ eagerness to announce himself on the grand stage that led to many of his decisions with the bat.
“I think it was more the exuberance of youth. He was like a cat on a hot tin roof. He wanted to announce himself straight away,” Shastri told The ICC Review.
“There was a lot of talk. He's someone who'll take the attack to the opposition. And he wanted to walk the talk. And he did that.
“He flustered India, there's no doubt about that, in Melbourne. But my advice to him would be ‘you've got talent, the focus should be on scoring runs more than anything else’. You focus on your strengths. You play the way you want.
Shastri added that as an opener, Konstas needed to back his defensive game and that Australia’s upcoming two-Test tour of Sri Lanka is the opportunity to do so.
“I think the tour of Sri Lanka in many ways will help. Getting out of Australia, playing overseas, and then getting to learn a lot of other things and maturing.”