Teen Konstas set the stage on fire; Reddy hogs limelight on Day 3

The highlight of the opening day of the fourth Test of the ongoing series between India and Australia played in Melbourne, was the emergence of a new batting sensation named Sam Konstas.

The fresh-faced 19-year-old showed no signs of anxiety or tension as he waded into a bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah, currently the best fast bowler in the world, with gay abandon and struck a brilliant half-century. More than the runs he scored, the authority with which he played his shots and the cool head he displayed while making his debut in international cricket stood out.

Konstas is the fourth youngest cricketer to play for Australia, and this fact alone should have placed a huge burden of expectation on his shoulders. Further, he was making his debut on Boxing Day in Melbourne in front of more than 90,000 spectators. And he was facing Bumrah, who had denied Australia a decent opening partnership in the previous three Tests.

After the initial three overs, when the bowler appeared to have tied him up in knots, Konstas broke through with a series of scoops and reverse scoops and then had the audacity to cart the bowler over the ropes for a sixer! Bumrah could only rub his eyes in disbelief as he conceded 18 runs in his sixth over, something that had never happened in the past. The statistician of a popular cricket-related website quickly pointed out that no one had hit Bumrah for a sixer since January 2021!

This innings was extremely important for the Aussies. With the series tied 1-1 after the first three matches, they badly needed their opening batters to give them a good start. In the first three games, neither Nathan McSweeney nor Usman Khwaja could find their feet against the Indian opening bowlers, especially Bumrah. Both of them had lost their wickets to Bumrah on four occasions and had marginal returns to show with the bat.

Hence, it was imperative for the hosts that their opening batter clicked and put some runs on the board. With this objective in mind, they decided to drop McSweeney and bring in Konstas.

George Bailey, the chief of the Australian selection committee, said they decided to blood Konstas as they wanted to try something different to break Bumrah's stranglehold on their opening batter. He admitted that dropping McSweeney was difficult, but they were forced to take this step as the opener did not put any pressure on the Indian bowlers.

Konstas appeared to have taken this to heart from how he launched himself at the Indian bowlers without a care in the world. It was amazing stuff from this youngster, and the huge crowd at the MCG cheered him lustily when he reached the half-century mark. Finally, it took Ravindra Jadeja's left-arm spin to pin this youngster down to the crease and have him trapped plumb in front of the wicket.

The youngster also faced some amount of lip music from the Indians, which he took in his stride. But he must have been shocked to be at the receiving end of a shoulder charge by Virat Kohli. Whether this happened by accident or design, Kohli did not cover himself with glory by taking on the newcomer in this manner.

Konstas was the winner in this duel as well since he did not back off and returned the verbal volleys with equal gusto. He deserved the standing ovation the Melbourne crowd gave him when he walked back to the pavilion after scoring 60  runs off 65 balls.

India was fortunate that they could retaliate in good measure and demonstrate the same level of youthful exuberance through Nitish Kumar Reddy. A strapping 21-year-old with a total experience of playing a mere 17 games at the first-class level, Reddy caught the eyes of the selectors with his performances in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

After playing in three T20 International matches, Reddy was chosen to tour Australia with the India “A” squad. He did not do anything spectacular with either the bat or the ball during this series; hence, his elevation to the national squad for this series came as a bit of a surprise. He was fortunate to get an opening in the first Test at Perth, where he impressed one and all by his pyrotechnics with the bat, ending up as the top scorer in India’s first innings. He equipped himself well with the bat in the second Test, where he was also the top scorer for the side in both outings.

After a lean show in the third Test, Reddy came into his own at Melbourne, where he rescued the side tottering at 191 runs for 6 wickets when he walked in. He ensured that the side avoided the ignominy of a follow on and helped India reach a respectable total by hitting a defiant century. Unlike his knocks at Perth and Adelaide, where he had attacked the bowling with gusto, Reddy batted with the patience and poise of a classic test match player, blocking or leaving the good balls while punishing the bad ones.

The manner in which he tackled the thunderbolts delivered by Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland with the second new ball displayed a maturity far beyond his age. It also showed that he was not a mere slam-bam batsman but one who could build an innings in the traditional old-fashioned manner.

Reddy’s success demonstrates how much a hard-working cricketer can learn and improve during a tour to Australia. His exploits with the bat and the poor performance with the willow by skipper Rohit Sharma and some other senior players have prompted some of the experts to opine that Reddy should bat higher in the order. In any case, after being the top scorer in four of the six completed innings’ for his side, he deserves a position higher than no: 7 and 8, where he is presently placed.

Undoubtedly, he should shoulder greater responsibilities given the splendid form he is in at present. But, at the same time, it may not be prudent to burden him with too many expectations before he finds his groove at this level. Hence, the team management may be better off adopting a balanced approach when they chalk out further plans regarding his position in the batting order.

Couple of interesting aspects that came to light regarding Konstas and Reddy are worth a detailed discussion. Both of them were forced to face a baptism by fire and brimstone on their debut. Konstas was given the unenviable task of repairing the destruction wreaked by the best fast bowler in contemporary cricket on the Australian top order while Reddy was required to salvage his side’s fortunes when they were staring at complete destruction on the fastest wicket in the world. Both of them succeeded in their tasks by employing methods that were not merely unconventional but were so daring and courageous as to be termed foolhardy.

Conventional cricketing wisdom teaches us that batsmen who achieve success in test cricket possess the required technical acumen to adjust to the demands of the limited overs’ game. But these youngsters have thrown that theory on its head by effortlessly employing the techniques used in the shortest version of the game in test matches, while demonstrating other skillsets necessary for success in the longest duration version of the game. Finally, their adolescent ardor and fresh faced  fervour is a welcome change from the grim visage and competitiveness shown by the more senior players around them.

The advent of young cricketers as Konstas and Reddy may also mark the arrival of a new generation set to take over from the likes of Steve Smith and Virat Kohli. Though Smith found his touch in this series after a stuttering start and Kohli showed glimpses of his brilliance at Perth, it is obvious that the career of both these outstanding players are on the downward slope.

They may still have a few years of cricket left in them but it is time for the selectors to look out to groom replacements tall enough to fill their boots. It is too early to say whether Konstas and Reddy will evolve to take over the mantle from these great cricketers but the manner in which they made their presence felt in the big arena fills one with hope and promise about this duo.

The series is far from over and many a battle remains to be fought between the two competing teams. The arrival of Konstas and Reddy have added an extra element of buzz and excitement to the contest for the Gavaskar- Border Trophy. The exploits of this duo with the willow have added to the romance and enchantment of test match cricket, which remains  the oldest, toughest and the most taxing version of the game.