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No regrets for Konstas as he prepares to fight for Ashes berth
The Australia A tour of India will mark the start of Konstas’ season before a defining month of Sheffield Shield cricket for New South Wales
AAP | 09-Sep-2025 • 1 hr ago
Sam Konstas begins a two-month stretch that could shape his Test prospects. The 19-year-old opener flies to Bangalore on Thursday for two first-class fixtures with Australia A, then returns home for four Sheffield Shield matches with New South Wales. A weight of runs in those six games will decide whether he partners Usman Khawaja in the first Ashes Test at Perth in December.
The teenager is unfazed by outside chatter and has resorted to a self-imposed social-media blackout. In his words, it keeps the volume down.
“I wouldn’t change it,” Konstas told AAP. “I don’t have any regrets in my life to be honest. I thought that was the right method at the time and it paid off. I don’t get too fixated about what others say. Whatever I feel is right I totally commit to.”
Konstas burst onto the scene last Boxing Day, carving a daring 60 from 65 balls against India. Nine innings later he is still hunting a second Test score above 25, yet he refuses to retreat into his shell.
“My method is someone who is an aggressive batsman that likes to take on the game, while understanding the game situation when I do play well. It is about trying to score runs and win games.”
That conviction will be tested in India, where red-ball conditions demand patience. National selectors feel time in the subcontinent, followed by early-season Shield cricket, offers the broadest examination of his technique before England arrive.
Konstas believes the groundwork is already in place. He cites stints at the MRF Academy in Chennai and last year’s Australia A tour of Sri Lanka as reference points. “I’ve had a few experiences in the subcontinent,” he said at Tuesday’s ASICS kit launch at the SCG. “I was lucky enough to be in the MRF Academy last year and to tour Sri Lanka as well with the Aussie boys. Hopefully I can score plenty of runs and adapt to those conditions.”
Part of the adaptation involves clearing mental space. Fame came quickly after that Boxing Day knock: his Instagram following jumped from zero to 281,000 in a week. The glare proved distracting.
“I never had social media until I was 18. I had it for a year and now I have taken a break from it to be more present and try and get back in the Ashes squad,” Konstas said. “It is just about focusing on myself and trying to give it a good crack.”
“Everyone uses social media differently but I feel now is the right time to get off it. I don’t read my comments on Instagram. I don’t care what other people say to be honest but everyone has their opinion.”
Coaches at New South Wales back the decision. One senior staff member, speaking on background, reckons the youngster’s energy is better spent on identifying scoring options against spin and the moving Dukes ball rather than scrolling.
Konstas points to lessons from the recent West Indies tour, where variable bounce exposed inconsistencies in his set-up. “I got so much out of my first time in the Caribbean and facing a quality fast attack. The wickets were tough to bat on.For me it was about trying to find methods for scoring runs in those conditions and understanding the bounce is variable and trying”
That sentence trails off, much like his Caribbean series, yet the intent is clear: learn, adjust, go again. Australia’s selectors will look for evidence of that approach when the A side meets India A next week and again in the Shield through October.
Runs will do the talking. Konstas, phone switched off, is fine with that.
