Konstas chaos

Skim it, and you might read constant chaos.

With three days to digest the highlights from Sam Konstas' first Test innings—I was trying to process through the Melbourne Airport security en route to another date-line crossing—I'm still trying to recall an Australian opening batter playing in similar vain.

Sadly for the 19-year-old debutant Konstas and the many who gathered early in Melbourne, it was intermediate chaos, not the full-on wrinkle—though, given the circumstances faced by the rising star of Australian batting, it was undoubtedly an upper-case green tick.

Day one saw Sam Konstas improvise, pivot, and display a bucket-load of youthful courage in compiling 60 runs from 65 balls, with six boundaries and two maximums, before Ravindra Jadeja beat his defensive push-prop. Of Jadeja's 319 Test wickets, there would be many in this fashion—his ability to sneak past both sides of the edge stands him out from many. Konstas shouldn't be too disappointed.

The Konstas chaos arrived by necessity rather than planning. However, his selection and Nathan McSweeney's axing suggested a shift to more urgency at the top of the order and perhaps, heaven forbid, an attempt to unsettle the unstoppable Jasprit Bumrah, whose series record read 21 wickets at 10 before the Boxing Day Test. George Bailey and his selection team deserve credit for a more aggressive approach.

That necessity became apparent as Konstas watched multiple balls beat his outside edge in the game's first over—a baptism of fire doesn't do the experience justice. Lateral variation from the seam and in the air challenged Australia's decision to bat first—the MCG pitches are changing for the better, this looks a beauty. And again, credit to Pat Cummins for batting first.

Twelve months ago, Sam Konstas was playing for NSW Metro in the U19 Championships. In round three, he was upstaged by VIC Metro leg spinner Bailey Toseland; this might have been partly due to the crowd size at Bethanga Recreation Reserve and a low, dry pitch. Albury boasts some nice grounds, though not in comparison to the MCG on Boxing Day.

It is incredible—and encouraging for his peers—that a cricket journey can fast-forward so quickly. Bravo, Sam Konstas.

For the record, Konstas made 46 from 75 in a losing total; Toseland returned six for eight from seven overs—Konstas makes his Test debut on Boxing Day and Baz Toseland? He'd be wheeling them out in the backyard, waiting for a return to Premier cricket in the New Year.

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If Australia is converting to a strain of 'Bazball' and Konstas is their man to lead the charge, this was a solid start.

In the recent Ashes in the UK, England and Australia's batting methods were distinctly different. Coach Andrew McDonald maintained that Australia would continue to employ their standard approach to the job at hand, refusing to be drawn into the Bazball chaos employed by England.

Harry Brook, England's premier enforcer in this space, is so far out of the blocks it's not funny. Since making his Test debut in 2022, Brook has dominated England's middle-order productivity with the evergreen Joe Root. In 2024, he has 1100 runs from 20 hits at a strike rate of 85. Contrary to what you might think, Brooks' career strike rate has slipped in his three years of Test cricket. In 2022, he was striking at 92; in 2023, he dipped to 91, then to a lethargic 85 in 2024. Brooks' batting has moved quickly from promising to constant—this chaos is what Australia might want from Sam Konstas. Or what David Warner gave them at the top of the order, which is more aligned with Australia's batting modus operandi. Either way, the Konstas journey will provide absorbing viewing. Also worth noting is that Shane Watson acts as Konstas' mentor—indeed, the mercurial Watson will draw on his own experiences to help Konstas flatten out the up-and-down curve of success.

The pivotal fourth Test between Australia and India at the MCG sees the hosts still holding the winning hand. Australia posted a plentiful first-innings total of 474, primarily underpinned by Steve Smith's impressive 140 and ably assisted by Pat Cummins 49—the two combined for a 112-run partnership.

In response, India's top order again faltered, with the exception of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who played beautifully for his 82 (118 balls). Resuming Day 3 at 5 for 164, Nitish Kumar Reddy posted his maiden Test century (105 not out) to extricate his new teammates from another potential first innings follow-on. After returning after a couple of games on the pine, Washington Sundar complied a patient 50, adding 127 with Reddy in a crucial partnership for the visitors.

It's not permitted, but Jaiswal has every right to give Virat Kohli the bird after a wasteful runout that robbed the young pretender of another hundred. Kohli is an excellent runner when he's the striker, but not so when he's the partner—the first rule of non-striker running is not to ball-watch. Kohli was guilty on all counts. Another sign that the King is no longer who he was.