Former India international Dinesh Karthik has said Australia youngster Sam Konstas is "predetermining to a different level" in his efforts to counter India's bowling in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
On day one of the fifth Test, India skipper Jasprit Bumrah, leading in the absence of Rohit Sharma, perhaps surprisingly chose to bat first on a cloudy morning on a green Sydney wicket.
The tourists were rocked early as KL Rahul was removed by Mitchell Starc for four in the fifth over and his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal followed him back to the pavilion just three overs later.
The innings never really got off the ground as India were eventually bowled out for a paltry 185, Rishabh Pant top-scoring with an uncharacteristically patient 40. Bumrah, batting at No.10, recorded the third-highest score of the innings and the highest by an India skipper in the series with 22 off 17 balls, as he took on the bowling in search of quick runs in the final session.
On the Cricbuzz Chatter show, broadcaster Harsha Bhogle put the question to Karthik on whether India could have batted a bit more aggressively, the way Bumrah had towards the end, Karthik said: "Tell me Harsha, do you think batters can bat the way Bumrah can, with absolute gay abandon? That is slogging to a point. He is just hoping that it hits his bat somewhere and if it hits the centre of the bat it goes for a boundary."
Dinesh Karthik: The moment Konstas gets out it'll look stupid
Karthik then broke off to touch upon 19-year-old Australia opener Sam Konstas, claiming that the youngster was "absolutely slogging" in his efforts to nullify the threat of Bumrah as India's bowling spearhead.
"As I speak, I'm thinking about what Sam Konstas is doing, which is absolutely slogging at this point of time," he said. "Where he's stepping out...he's playing one ball normally, the rest he's either stepping out or backing away – predetermining it to a different level. The game plan is to try and put the bowler off, it will look like it is positive if he keeps batting but the moment he gets out it'll look stupid.
"That is the beauty, there is a fine line between being, as I said, sexy and stupid, and it is always the result."
Read more: Before Bumrah: The Curtly Ambrose wristband request that backfired badly for Australia
Konstas stole the show on his Test debut last week at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, scoring a rapid 60 as he took the attack to Bumrah in particular, who has tormented the Australian batting line-up in this series – even reverse-ramping him on multiple occasions.
On Friday as well, when Australia came out to bat for three overs, he charged down the wicket to the pacer off the very first ball of the innings and hit him for four. Konstas and Bumrah were then also involved in a war of words which culminated in the wicket of Usman Khawaja off the last ball of day one.
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