"Konstas spoiled Bumrah's condition slightly and also saved Australia" - Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Sam Konstas' knock in BGT 2024-25 4th Test

Sanjay Manjrekar has lauded Sam Konstas for playing an enterprising knock in Australia's first innings of the fourth Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Test. He pointed out that the opener not only took Jasprit Bumrah to the cleaners but also saved Usman Khawaja from facing the ace Indian pacer.

Konstas debuted in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne on Thursday, December 26, replacing Nathan McSweeney in Australia's playing XI. He smashed 60 runs off 65 deliveries as the hosts ended Day 1 at 311/6 in their first innings.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Manjrekar noted that Konstas' knock was not only 'entertaining' but also helped his opening partner's cause.

"This is called the Boxing Day Test match and the batting we saw was out of the box, and Usman Khawaja gained a lot because of that. He (Khawaja) had been dismissed four times against Bumrah and, as it's said, he was his bunny. However, Bumrah bowled 36 balls in his first spell and Usman Khawaja played only three," he said.

"So Konstas spoiled Bumrah's condition slightly and also saved Australia. So it was an extremely important innings apart from being entertaining. He is a star in the making because his temperament and playing style are slightly different. You can figure out who can become a star and who is just a good player," Manjrekar added.

Sam Konstas was the dominant partner in his 89-run first-wicket partnership with Usman Khawaja. The latter went on to score a 121-ball 57 and was eventually dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah.

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"We are probably seeing how Test cricket will be played going forward" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Sam Konstas' approach

Sam Konstas struck six fours and two sixes during his innings. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Sanjay Manjrekar opined that Sam Konstas' knock reflects how Test cricket will potentially be played going forward.

"We are probably seeing how Test cricket will be played going forward. The special factor of this knock for me was that we saw pure Test batting, where he was missing the ball while defending outside off-stump, as well as pure T20 cricket, and all that against the new ball," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the 19-year-old carried forward the approach shown by Rishabh Pant and England in the game's longest format.

"Rishabh Pant showed a trailer of how Test cricket will be played and he has put the stamp on that. We saw a different kind of game which was above Bazball. It was an incredible knock," Manjrekar observed.

Konstas was beaten a few times and scored only two runs off the first 18 deliveries he faced from Jasprit Bumrah. However, he then took the attack to the unconventional seamer, smashing 32 runs off his next 15 deliveries.