Aussies get more than they imagined with Konstas' arrival

Australia men's team coach Andrew McDonald's only meeting with Sam Konstas prior to the teenage opener joining the Test squad last week was a fleeting encounter at a Melbourne hotel in early November.

McDonald was with the national ODI outfit for a game against Pakistan at the MCG while Konstas was part of the Australia A set-up to tackle India A at the same venue three days later when their paths crossed at their shared accommodation.

While their interactions were then limited to a couple of lengthy net sessions and the obligatory team meetings heading into Konstas' Test debut on Boxing Day, the coach claimed he was fully aware of what the new boy would bring.

That was until the third over of Australia's first innings when Konstas (with two Test runs to his name) attempted an audacious reverse ramp shot against India's Jasprit Bumrah, rightly hailed as one of the foremost fast bowlers to have played the game.

"I suppose the conversation was how early was he going to get into those proactive shots, and twelfth ball did surprise me a little bit," McDonald revealed today with trademark understatement.

"We knew what we were getting into. As selectors you follow that journey.

"But did we get a little bit more than what we expected? No doubt about that."

Konstas' crazy-brave 60 in the first 90 minutes on Boxing Day set the scene for the MCG's best-attended and perhaps most memorable Test encounter, but the influence the ebullient right-hander has on his significantly older teammates seems set to endure much longer.

In the wake of Australia's 184-run win that handed them a 2-1 series lead heading into the final NRMA Insurance Test starting at the SCG on Friday, McDonald noted the positive effect Konstas' contribution brought beyond simply the vital runs he scored.

"People talk about heavy-duty runs in the first innings and he put pressure back on (India's bowlers) and allowed our middle-order to get to work," McDonald said.

"Steve Smith capitalised on that, Marnus (Labuschagne) was good, so it set the tone and I thought that combination at the top looked like something going forward that could work.

"There's no doubt when you're talking about a team that's going through transition if you want to frame it that way, the ability to immerse yourself with those senior players is incredibly important.

"He's going to be a better player for being in the environment – the conversations that happen, the nuances to the game.

"He's a fast learner so I think he's on the right path.

"That proactive cricket may be the direction of Test cricket as we know it."

Whether it was the belief born of that initial innings of 60 from 65 balls faced that emboldened Konstas – who a year ago was representing Australia at the under-19 World Cup – for the remainder of his debut game seemed increasingly unlikely as the match progressed.

According to his new Test teammates, the teen's preparedness to stand his ground in a physical confrontation with India veteran Virat Kohli, his engagement in exhorting fans while fielding in the deep and his ceaseless chat when stationed close to the wicket were merely manifestations of Konstas' confident character.

In several interviews given across the five days of the fourth Test, spinner Nathan Lyon attributed some of Konstas' endearingly irrepressible antics to "naivety" while also praising the 19-year-old's daring outlook.

"He's obviously enjoying himself this week and so he should," Lyon told cricket.com.au immediately after Australia's win which has them within touching distance of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

"The way he went about it, a few of us had some 'defib' (defibrillator) moments up there (in the team viewing room), I thought we were going to have a few heart attacks.

"But hats off to him, he tried to put pressure back on them and he certainly did that.

"He needs to enjoy this moment and enjoy his first Test win."

Smith, the former Australia captain who made his debut in 2010 when Konstas was aged four, revealed how the rookie had gotten under the skin of some of his India rivals during a tense final day when fielders crowded around the bat.

Konstas had reputedly requested to don a protective helmet (lid) and be positioned in one of the close-catching positions loathed by most players, not because of any obvious fielding credentials, but due solely to the quality of his 'banter'.

"He's mad, I think he really enjoyed himself under the lid, he was chirping," Smith told Channel Seven following Australia's victory.

"I think at one point (India opener Yashashvi) Jaiswal was actually trying to hit the ball at him to try and shut him up a bit.

"He's brought great energy, he's brought a real confidence and it's nice to see him start so well in his first Test match.

"I think he's got a bright future."

Current captain Pat Cummins, who prior to Boxing Day had been the most recent teen to receive a Baggy Green Cap when aged 18 for his maiden Test in South Africa in 2011, revealed Konstas' arrival has made him feel suddenly old.

The now 31-year-old skipper conceded that watching Konstas unselfconsciously rev up both Australia and India fans across the five days that saw an aggregate attendance of 373,691 at the MCG provided pause for thought and what he described as a senior moment.

"I've always felt like one of the younger guys in the team, but seeing Sammy as a 19-year-old geeing up the crowd I feel quite old," Cummins said. "He's been awesome, he's been great fun.

"The bravery he showed on day one, and I think there's a bit of process behind that as well (thinking), 'I could hang around here and probably wait to nick a ball to slip or I can try and put some pressure back on the bowler and take the game on'.

"He's just got that no-fear mindset which is amazing and I hope he (holds) on to that.

"I really love what he's brought to the team – takes the game on, revs up the crowd, doesn't shy away from any contest, so he's had a great week."

The profile Konstas has cultivated literally overnight ensures he will again find himself in the spotlight when he plays in front of his home-town fans at the SCG from Friday.

But it's not only cricket followers in Australia and beyond who are viewing the game through a new lens now that Konstas has brought the hitherto frowned upon T20 technique into the Test arena.

Labuschagne noted during the course of the Melbourne Test that, while watching their rookie teammate bewilder India's bowlers with his hyper-aggressive shot-making, he and Smith agreed it looked like more "fun" than the survival mode they had been adopting, particularly against Bumrah.

"It probably just made me think about actually what’s my best method," Labuschagne said.

Not only did Konstas' unpredictability factor compel India to change their plans and deploy field settings to mitigate rather than attack, Australia posted their biggest opening stand of the series at such a rate the batters who came next felt almost obliged to maintain the rage.

For the first time in a decade of Tests played on their home turf, each member of Australia's top four posted scores of 50-plus in an innings.

And it was ultimately that first-innings total of 474, which came at a game-high rate of 3.86 runs per over, that set up their eventual MCG triumph.

"It wasn't just the runs he scored, it was the way he scored them," Cummins said of Konstas' now-legendary contribution.

"'Uzzie' (opening partner Usman Khawaja) looked really fluent down the other end as well and they were rotating the strike which doesn't always happen, you can get stuck down an end.

"And then you see everyone else going out there and start being proactive.

"So I think he set up that first morning for us, probably that first day, and that whole innings.

"It was tough. We chose to bat but day one MCG always does something and taking on their main guys, everyone walked out there with a bit more intent which is what we'd asked of all the guys leading into this Test match."

NRMA Insurance Men's Test Series v India

First Test: India won by 295 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 10 wickets

Third Test: Match drawn

Fourth Test: Australia won by 184 runs

Fifth Test: January 3-7: SCG, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal