New Delhi
Teenage batsman Sam Konstans is set to make his MCG debut in the crucial Boxing Day Test against India, with former Australian cricketer Greg Chappell believing the youngster is the natural successor to former opener David Warner and not his clone. Sam Constas will become the 468th Australian men’s Test player on Boxing Day. The 19-year-old will become the youngest player to play in the baggy green since 18-year-old Pat Cummins made his debut in 2011.
“At just 19, Constas is on the cusp of history,” Chappell wrote in his column for The Age. He will be the youngest player to open the batting in Tests for Australia. His debut on Boxing Day is both exciting and challenging. “Constans has the temperament and ability to make great runs and adapt quickly.” Constas has been included in place of opening batsman Nathan McSweeney, whose replacement was much debated by the Australian selectors after two single-digit scores during the drawn third Test at the Gabba.
He said, “I have always believed that the job of selectors is to find champions and not to pick players who make numbers. “If you pick the right players, even if you have to take them out at some point in the future, they will consider what they need to improve on and come back stronger.”
Constas came into limelight by scoring two centuries against South Australia in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield. Those two centuries also gave him the distinction of being the first teenager to achieve the feat in the Sheffield Shield, before the legendary Ricky Ponting did so in 1993. Before his inning of 88 runs, Constas had also scored a century against India in the pink-ball practice match in Canberra, apart from this he had also scored an unbeaten 73 runs against India A in Melbourne.
Following the retirement of veteran opener Warner, there is a notable gap at the top of Australia’s Test batting order. Warner has revolutionized opening with his aggressive strokeplay across all formats. Chappell believes that Constas offers a contrasting but equally effective approach to Warner, and the young right-hander has the potential to become an all-format player without making major changes to his style techniques.
Chappell wrote, “Contas is not a clone of Warner; Rather, they are their natural successors. The hallmark of his game is the balance between aggression and caution, a balance that has allowed him to be successful against a variety of bowlers. Whereas Warner’s talent often lies in making audacious strokes, Constas thrives on calculated precision. This does not mean that he lacks talent; “Rather, his talent rests on solid fundamentals.”
