Park cricketers have long enjoyed the luxury of putting a little GST, also referred to as mayonnaise, on their efforts at the crease. They can embellish a knock however they like to mates and family members who weren’t there to see it. Sam Konstas found himself in a similar situation after compiling 109 for Australia A against India A in Lucknow last month.
It was the century that has Australian cricket talking, but like a tree falling in the woods, only a handful of people at the Ekana Cricket Stadium and some online scorecards could verify it happened. Remarkably, in a country obsessed with cricket, Konstas’ polished innings wasn’t streamed or televised. A wagon wheel on the BCCI website revealed where Konstas picked off his runs and boundaries—57 per cent into the leg side—plus a six over long-on, but beyond that, the details are scant.
In his only interview since returning from his first proper playing stint in India—Konstas spent time training at the MRF Academy in Chennai last year—the rising star offered his version of that innings, more than two months on from a challenging Test tour of the West Indies, where he managed 50 runs across six innings on difficult pitches.
“It was actually a really tough green-seamer, and it was spinning too,” Konstas said with a grin. “So yeah, it was one of my best hundreds.”
Jokes aside, Konstas is pleased to be back in the runs. The incumbent Australian opener will need plenty more to begin the Sheffield Shield season, which starts on Saturday with NSW facing Western Australia at the WACA, South Australia hosting Victoria, and Queensland taking on Tasmania.
Konstas, who landed back in Australia on Monday, is happy to paint an honest picture. “It was actually a nice wicket to bat on,” he said. “As the day went on, it did spin quite a bit. They had a quality side. The first session, I thought they bowled really well, and it was seaming a little bit. When the spinners came on, since the wicket was a bit flat, I decided to try and take the game on. I was lucky enough to get a few away against the spinners. The innings progressed really nicely, and then I got out for 109. All my hard work [is showing].”
There was one moment, however, five balls into Konstas’ innings, that the now 20-year-old—his birthday was on Thursday—probably wishes never made its way out of India. A local journalist tweeted that Konstas had once again pulled out the audacious stroke that shocked the cricket world on Boxing Day last year.
“Sam Konstas has already attempted one reverse scoop in the first over!” Sportstar reporter Sahil Mathur wrote on X.
Konstas laughed when asked if it was true. “It is true,” he said. “I tried to reverse ramp first over to a ball on eighth stump. It wasn’t the right thing to do at that time. It happens sometimes. The other innings I was really good. I had a lot of clarity and just reacting to the ball.”
Did the Indians laugh or sledge him about it? “I think they were probably just used to it when I played [them] at the MCG and the SCG,” Konstas said. “They were a very good attack. It wasn’t the right shot to play at that time.”
It begs the question: has Konstas really changed his ways? Will there still be another rush of blood when he walks out to bat for NSW this week? It’s certainly a shot that makes purists grumble, but it has been a profitable one for Konstas, and he has never been dismissed playing it.
As always, runs are the only currency that matters, but the exchange rate will be high in the opening rounds of the Sheffield Shield, with places in Australia’s batting order up for grabs before the first Ashes Test in Perth on November 21.
Konstas’ scores of 109, 27 not out, 49, and 3 against a quality India A attack were, to use a phrase that will become a cricket cliché over the next six weeks, a timely reminder of his talent.
“I’ve grown a lot from those two or three weeks,” Konstas said. “It’s obviously a good reward to have, especially with all my hard training. The Caribbean was probably the best thing that happened to me. I learnt a lot about myself. As an athlete, you’re gonna fail a lot more than you succeed. It’s how you deal with your failures.
“The standard was really high. India A played a good team in their home conditions. I was really happy with my other digs. Even though I got out for 49, I thought it was the best I felt in terms of my mental headspace and the way I was moving. It’s also a lot hotter there, and it was about understanding not to hit a lot of balls during training, have that extra time off, just so I am mentally refreshed. It was a very good tour for me.”
Konstas believes his technique is in a good place, having worked closely with his batting coach, Tahmid Islam, since the West Indies fast bowlers worked him over. He feels his mental approach is sound, having leaned on his mentor and former Test all-rounder Shane Watson for guidance. Konstas has even worked with a breathing coach to ensure he remains calm and focused as a bowler gets ready to deliver the ball.
Clarity and confidence are all Konstas could have asked for, as he embarks on an intense period where every shot he plays is analysed and scrutinised through an Ashes lens. You wouldn’t know it from his relaxed demeanour.
“I have a lot of clarity now,” Konstas said. “[Making runs] does matter for me. Any time you spend at the crease, it’s valuable and builds a bit of confidence. I’m just trying to win games for NSW and just put good performances in for the Ashes, hopefully.”
“I’ve been very grateful to Greg Mail and Greg Shipperd to have their support. Cricket NSW is my second home, and I’m always there. For them to have full faith in me is nice at a young age. To represent NSW is a huge honour. I think we have immense depth, and hopefully, we dominate this year and win the comp. I know I’m ready for that Aussie [call-up] when the Ashes do come. I’m just trying to score runs and put my best foot forward.”
This time, when Konstas walks out to bat at the WACA, there will be a live stream. A sea of gold shirts is also expected in the stands. Not necessarily for Western Australia—though some might be—but because the Wallabies play the All Blacks next door at Optus Stadium later that afternoon in a Bledisloe Cup fixture. Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh, a handy junior cricketer in his day, is expected to drop in for a look. Thousands more will be watching online.
But Konstas doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. He knows the real hard work lies ahead.
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