Mark Waugh believes Sam Konstas will open at the MCG and was picked in place of an unlucky Nathan McSweeney due to a process of elimination over the veterans in the team.
Watch every ball of Australia v India LIVE & ad-break free during play in 4K on Kayo | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.
Konstas has been picked to potentially make his Test debut in the Boxing Day Test with McSweeney making way after just three Tests.
Waugh has no doubt Konstas will open the batting and believes the lack of runs and positivity from the top order is why Australia went with a more aggressive option in Konstas.
“He’ll open, I reckon he’s a certainty to open,” Waugh said on Fox Cricket.
“I think they’ve selected him with the thought process that they need a bit more positive stroke play at the top of the order, particularly with Usman and Marnus struggling slightly.
“Nathan McSweeney wasn’t scoring either. So I think the young, more aggressive player will play for sure.”
Michael Hussey believes it was a brutal call to drop McSweeney given the lack of runs from both sides at the top of the order and defended the role of the openers so far in the series.
“I think it’s a very tough call,” Hussey said.
“I mean, it’s exciting for Sam. Great opportunity for him, but it is a tough call because it hasn’t been easy for the opening batters from either team.
“The ball’s been moving around a bit. It’s not going to be that easy just to come out and be really aggressive against someone like Bumrah on pitches that have got plenty in it.
Exclusive: Konstas reacts to selection | 04:47
“I mean, you can look at it both ways. The top order, yes, they haven’t been scoring, but they’ve been chewing up a bit of time to allow guys like Travis Head and Alex Carey to come in and play their natural game.
“So I think it’s a tough call, but, you know, they’re obviously pretty strong about going hard to try and win these last two Tests.”
Richardson earns call up into Test squad | 01:04
However, Waugh believes the importance of the Border-Gavaskar series which is poised at 1-1 with two games remaining forced the selectors hand and they couldn’t have dropped veterans Khawaja and Labuschagne mid-series.
“I think they’ve picked the team on winning these last two Test matches,” Waugh said.
“They’re not worrying about the future as much. You always keep an eye on the future, but this is a huge series and you’ve got the World Test Championship, that carrot dangling away as well.
“So I think the selectors, they’re thinking about the MCG Test and the SCG Test. What’s our best team to win those two Test matches?
Sixers clutch up in thrilling final over | 03:24
“And they think they need a bit more fire power at the top of the order with the bat, maybe.
“I mean, you couldn’t really drop one of the more experienced players, so it’s probably Nathan McSweeney just through process of elimination, actually.”
But Hussey questioned why Australia felt the need to make the change given they have dominated the games since losing the first Test.
“It’s another reason why it’s an interesting call and a tough call is that I feel as though, okay, India totally outplayed Australia in the first Test,” Hussey explained.
“But since then, I feel as though Australia have dominated the Test series, so I don’t know, I was surprised.
“I was shocked when they made the call, but it is a positive move to try and be more aggressive at the top of the order.”
