3 reasons why India need to be wary of Sam Konstas ahead of BGT 2024-25 4th Test

Australia announced a major selection decision for the latter half of the Border-Gavaskar series by naming Sam Konstas in the squad, replacing Nathan McSweeney. The 19-year-old is set to be the fourth youngest player to make his Test debut as the selectors go all out in crisis.

With the series level at 1-1, Australia cannot afford any more slip-ups that India can capitalize on. The major concern for the Men in Yellow before and during the series was the top order. With Nathan McSweeney struggling to be among the runs, along with Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne, Australia had to introduce some sort of change to hope for a different outcome.

"Sam gets a call up to the Test squad for the first time. His style of batting offers a point of difference and we look forward to watching his game develop further," Australia chief selector George Bailey had said of the selection ahead of the Boxing Day Test (via ESPN Cricinfo)

On that note, let us take a look at three reasons why India needs to be wary of Sam Konstas ahead of the BGT 2024-25 4th Test.

#1 Konstas is in a rich vein of form

A major reason why Australia have chosen to make such a radical shift midway through a high-profile series is the contrasting form of McSweeney and Konstas. While the debutant did a good job of surviving at times, he never quite found an approach to deal with the Indian seamers and the new ball.

Barring a solid outing in the first innings of the pink ball Test at Adelaide, McSweeney failed to reach double figures, despite playing out deliveries and trying to survive the new ball charge.

On the flip side, Konstas has shown no signs of slowing down. His scores have ramped up ever since he was overlooked for McSweeney for the first half of the Border-Gavaskar series. He has three fifty-plus scores in his last three appearances, all coming in different formats.

He scored an impressive ton in the one-day pink ball clash against India, then a fluent 88 for the New South Wales against Western Australia, and now recently a blistering fifty in his Big Bash League (BBL) debut for Sydney Thunder.

#2 He showed glimpses of his potential against a near full-strength Indian bowling unit

The outing that arguably made Konstas' case was potentially his ton against India in the warm-up encounter. Although he did not have to face Jasprit Bumrah, the rest of the Indian bowling unit was intact. The opening batter had made easy work of the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, and Akash Deep.

He had to play with a different template considering the first-class encounter was switched to a List-A contest, but his potential was there to be seen. There is little chance that his reverse ramp shots will come into play during the actual Test matches, but he was able to showcase his clarity and the fact that he was unfazed by an international bowling unit.

None of the Indian bowlers could trouble Konstas to a great extent that evening, which is a great sign for Australia, who are in dire need of some stability at the top of the order.

#3 Konstas plays with intent

Bailey emphasized the 'style of batting' which encouraged them to pick Konstas over McSweeney. A lot was said about the dynamic between McSweeney and Khawaja before the series. Earlier, when David Warner opened the innings, he used to keep the runs flowing from one end while Khawaja held the other.

However, with both McSweeney and Khawaja banking on their defense and building on it, there was a chance of pressure mounting up early on, which turned out to be the case. Australia did not find ways to ease the pressure early on, and it accumulated, leading to early dismissals and a lack of partnerships at the top.

Konstas' arrival may solve this issue, as he is an active run-scorer rife with intent. In his last set of outings, where he has played out at least 20 deliveries, he boasts a strike rate of at least 60. His first-class strike rate as of now reads 51.76. In comparison, McSweeney's first-class strike rate was 41.62, and that number dipped to 33.96 in Tests.

India had the luxury of pinning down both opening batters from the word go and capitalizing on the building dots when Khawaja and McSweeney were opening. The pacers also availed the opportunity to bowl at the same batter for a long period of time, helping with their set-up.

However, with Konstas, he will be eager to keep the scoreboard ticking, and rotating the strike, forcing India to formulate a new plan.