Sam Kostas has earned backhanded praise for his century against India, with a touring reporter rating his batting effective but artless.
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Konstas made 107 for the PM’s XI at Manuka Oval, reaching his ton from just 90 balls.
At one point in Konstas’ innings, Indian wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Khan walked up to him at the stumps and mimicked the young Australian’s daring batting.
“Sarfaraz would lift his right leg in the air, contort his body one way to the other, and twirl his arms in a wild fashion. In the slips, Rohit Sharma doubled over cracking in laughter, as did Rishabh Pant,” wrote Sriram Veera for The Indian Express, noting that Konstas had played confidently on a flat pitch.
“Aesthetics, though, won’t be a reason to watch him bat. He doesn’t have much to offer in that department, at least on the evidence on offer, but cricket at the highest level isn’t about how ‘beautiful’ one’s batting is. But Konstas did come across as an effective risk-taker.
“His batting technique is pretty simple and clear. He has a slightly open stance, front shoulder facing the non-striker, the back leg on middle-stump, the front leg on leg-and-middle, and he stays absolutely still.
“There is one other trait; his hands are spread wide on the bat handle, more than usual, which brings to mind Faf du Plessis. He has a couple of looks at his hands on the handle in his stance, the bat held in the air, before looking at the bowler and staying very still. In the initial overs, with not much movement around, he defended without fuss, and at times without much foot movement.”
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Writing in the Deccan Herald, Madhi Jawali called Konstas’ innings “breezy” – before describing how India’s batters fared against the pink ball ahead of the day/night Test in Adelaide.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal (45, 59b, 9×4) was all at sea against the new ball, with Scott Boland and Jack Nisbet giving him a tough time. He was beaten a few times while his nervous hits resulted in top edges. Looking physically uncomfortable, often feeling his back with his right hand, the southpaw hung on and began to gain control. KL Rahul, after a play-and-miss period, appeared comfortable — a couple of sumptuous cover drives establishing his authority.
“(Shubman) Gill, returning after recovering from a thumb injury which forced him to miss the first Test, showed few signs of discomfort cutting and driving the ball as sublimely as he ever has. Even as the youngster blossomed under lights, Rohit departed poking at a delivery in the corridor. Significantly, Rahul opened the innings with Rohit dropping down the order but it remains to be seen if India stick to the same strategy in the second Test.”
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A report in the Hindustan Times said that Rohit’s form was concerning ahead of his return to the team as captain.
“Rohit Sharma’s form was one of the key points in this match, and he interestingly came in at number four. With struggles against seam and the new ball, he would have been hoping for some solid runs, but it wasn’t to be for him as his torrid spell continued, dismissed for just 3 runs by Charlie Anderson. A spot of concern for Rohit, and continued questions about his batting position.”
A report in The Times of India made a curious observation about the absence of a big-name trio from the tour match.
“Experienced Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah opted for net practice against each other instead of the warm-up game, a tactical decision that prevented the Australian side from gathering data on their performance.
“Premier spinner R Ashwin, who missed the first Perth Test and took 4 wickets in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide during the 2020-21 tour, also bowled extensively in the nets, primarily to Kohli.”
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One man set to bowl in the second Test is Scott Boland, after Josh Hazlewood was ruled out. The Deccan Chronicle carried quotes from the Victorian quick about his struggles to get a game with Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins in the team.
“Obviously those guys have been so resilient, they don’t miss too many and no one must give up their spot at any stage,“ Boland said.
“And they were so dominant that last summer (even when) they weren’t bowling a heap of overs, but we’re still able to win most of those games, so yeah, I probably thought maybe the opportunity had passed.
“I have worked really hard in the off-season to get my body in a spot where I am confident that if I get another chance I will be able to perform for Australia again.”
