Sam Konstas once again invited controversy, as India took on Australia in the fifth and final Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 match, in Sydney. The 19-year-old had a controversial altercation with Virat Kohli in the previous Test, which was also his debut. Then, he followed it up with another controversial incident on Day 1 of the fifth Test, and this time his victim was Jasprit Bumrah.
The final over of Day 1 saw Usman Khawaja on strike, facing Indian pace spearhead Bumrah. The opener made the bowler wait as he was about to begin his run-up, to make sure that it would be the final over of the day. But it didn’t receive a positive response from Bumrah, who made his displeasure known. On the other hand, Konstas, who was at the non-striker’s end, decided to add some spice to the drama in an attempt to catch Bumrah off guard.
Konstas and Bumrah exchanged words and before it could reach a tipping point, the umpires intervened. But Bumrah had the last laugh, as he bowled his final delivery of the day, getting Khawaja caught out behind. In celebration, Bumrah charged up at Konstas and then stared down at him, and was followed by his other teammates. Cameras also caught Virat Kohli sprinting from the slip region in celebration, and then charging up at Konstas, before joining his teammates. Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna was seen laughing at the opener.
Criticism of Sam Konstas
Criticising Konstas, former Aussie cricketer Tom Moody took to social media, and asked senior players like Pat Cummins and Steve Smith to offer him ‘guidance’. “Sam Konstas has much to learn. I hope the dressing room is offering that guidance without suppressing his confidence and youthful enthusiasm,” he wrote, on X.
Moody also pointed out that Khawaja was in control, but wasn’t distracted by Konstas, which led to his dismissal. He wrote, “Usman had it all under control, what he didn’t need was the distraction of having to settle his partner down at the non strikers end!”
During the fourth Test, Konstas was involved in a shoulder bump incident with Kohli, and the pair exchanged some words. Later on, he was seen mocking Kohli and the Indian fans by imitating the shoulder bump, on the request of Aussie fans.
