Sam Konstas heads into the two-match, four-day series against India A in Lucknow knowing the next six weeks could decide whether he keeps his Test cap. After managing only 50 runs in six innings against West Indies earlier in the year, the 19-year-old opener has been told by Australia A coach Tim Paine to trust the rhythm that feels right on the day.
The wider verdict on Konstas will come once the Sheffield Shield – Australia’s first-class competition – begins in October, yet selectors will still note how he fares in India, particularly in the second match, where Mohammed Siraj is expected to lead the home attack.
“I think at times you’ll see some of that [the more aggressive side], but I think people forget that Sam’s still only 19 years of age,” Paine told reporters in Lucknow. “So he’s a long way from being the finished product.”
“Clearly in Australia we know he’s got a lot of talent. We think he’s going to be a star at international cricket at some stage. He’s obviously in the team, or was in the team, at the moment. But he’s still finding his way [and] what’s the best way for him to play.”
Konstas’ Test debut – a brisk 60 from 65 balls at the MCG – hinted at an attacking future. The seamer-friendly surfaces in the Caribbean then exposed the other half of his learning curve, leaving him caught between letting the ball go and going after it. Paine does not want that indecision to creep back.
“At times he’s going to be super aggressive. Other times he’ll trust his defence. He’s working that out and figuring out when and why he needs to do it both. We’ll encourage him this series to play it as he sees it.”
“There’s going to be times where it’s hard and he’ll have to soak up pressure, but when he’s feeling good and he’s on top we’ll back him in to go hard and put the opposition under pressure. He’s exciting. [You] don’t know what you’re going to get sometimes but that’s a great part of watching him.”
Those words are echoed at state level. New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd, who has overseen Konstas’ pre-season work, believes the youngster looks sharper after a technical tune-up.
“I have to concur with Usman Khawaja’s recent story about how difficult the wickets were over there,” Shipperd said. “You were able to see that as well, how difficult it was. I think he may have got stuck into a process of not moving his feet as much as we’d like him to in terms of responding to what’s delivered his way and which we’ve seen him concentrate and focus on in his time in preparation here.”
“The work ethic is fantastic. I think he’s got a lot more clarity about how he wants to go about his cricket and his preparation has been first class. A hundred out here the other day was a good signal to the adjustments that he’s made out of the West Indies, so I’m really confident that he’ll score some heavy runs for us in that first four or so games before that international series begins.”
Konstas’ century in a NSW practice match was not televised, yet word soon spread through the national set-up. It featured a tidier trigger movement and a readiness to leave outside off stump – two areas he had identified with Shipperd during video sessions.
Australia A’s batting depth means Konstas is far from the only player under scrutiny. Nathan McSweeney, who opened against India last season, returns, while Victoria’s left-hander Will Pucovski is also in the squad after another concussion-free year. The line-up offers selectors multiple combinations should Konstas falter, but also the reassuring competition for places that tends to lift standards.
With Pat Cummins and the senior side on a break before the home summer, chairman of selectors George Bailey has emphasised that performances in India and the opening Shield rounds will inform November’s first Test squad. Konstas therefore has at least four first-class matches – two in Lucknow, two back home – to turn the narrative around.
Conditions in Lucknow are expected to start slow and become lower and drier as the match progresses, a familiar pattern on the sub-continent. Paine, who last captained in India in 2022, expects reverse swing to enter the contest by day three, testing Konstas’ ability to stay patient.
Short-term pressure aside, Australia’s coaching group are determined to keep a broader view on a teenager still learning the tempo of the longest format. Paine summed it up in one sentence during training on Sunday: “If Sam keeps his mind clear, the runs will look after themselves.”
For now, that clarity is all Konstas can control.
