Konstas falls for 49 in India as Ashes duel heats up

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Sam Konstas has admitted to listening to Adele if he gets out for a low score and is dealing with the low emotions of the moment, while he prefers to shuffle some house music beats if he wants to get pumped up.

Nineteen-year-old Konstas wasn’t exactly rolling in the deep after he fell for 49 against India A in Lucknow, but there were not quite enough runs for him to break out the Calvin Harris either.

Undoubtedly, Konstas would be annoyed at himself for making another strong start and failing to cash in fully. He had notched another promising contribution ahead of the fight for an Ashes batting berth, but stopped short of a third century in as many games.

It was about half an hour after lunch on day one in sweltering Lucknow when he edged a delivery from Indian Test paceman Mohammed Siraj, after a stay that lasted 91 balls with seven boundaries. Australia A were 3-144 midway through in the second session, with Victorian Ollie Peake (29) out after a quick start.

Following the early exit of Campbell Kellaway (nine) on a green, seaming surface that India A’s captain Dhruv Jurel chose to bowl on, there had been a productive union with Australia A skipper Nathan McSweeney (55 not out), the man who Konstas replaced in the Test side ahead of the Boxing Day Test last December.

McSweeney and Konstas added 86 at a more considered rate than the rapid first innings Australia A had piled up in the drawn first game of the series, when Konstas, Kellaway and Josh Philippe were among the players in the runs.

There was another significant departure for Konstas in that he avoided repeating the ramp shots that he played in the early stages of the first game, preferring to absorb Siraj’s four-over opening spell in a more orthodox manner.

He is still working on becoming more consistent in his use of a fresh pre-ball “trigger” movement that allows him to be sharper as the ball is coming down. That tweak should also help Kontas to avoid the types of bowled and lbw dismissals that have followed him to a degree in his international career so far.

Konstas’ first boundary came from his 22nd delivery, with a neat on-drive down the ground, before McSweeney got into stride with runs through the point region.

With temperatures touching the mid-30s in Lucknow and humidity also a factor, Konstas and McSweeney were often calling for drinks and some respite from the sun, and were relieved to get to lunch at 1-77.

After a couple more boundaries put Konstas within sight of 50, he pushed defensively at Siraj and was taken behind.

Narayan Jagadeesan took the keeping gloves from Jurel at lunch, and also dropped McSweeney on 40. Notably, Konstas did not score a run from Siraj during his stay.

Konstas was replaced in the middle by another teenage talent in Peake, who was swiftly into things with a couple of boundaries, only to be bowled, beaten through bat and pad by Manav Suthar’s left-arm spin. Cooper Connolly was the fourth wicket to fall, lasting just two balls after Peake’s dismissal.

After this game, Konstas and other Test hopefuls will return home to Australia for the start of the Sheffield Shield, and will have three games in which to impress selectors before the squad is chosen for the first Ashes Test in Perth.

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