'His wrists are incredible': Sam Konstas hails 'idol' Virat Kohli
What's the story
Australian cricket prodigy Sam Konstas, who had a heated exchange with Indian star Virat Kohli during his debut Test in December last year, has now called the latter "one of his biggest idols." The unexpected twist comes after Kohli's shoulder bump incident with Konstas during the Border-Gavaskar series. The incident led to a fine and demerit point for Kohli.
Respect
Konstas names his perfect cricketer
Ahead of the first Test against West Indies at Kensington Oval, the 19-year-old was asked to create his perfect cricketer. He named legends like AB de Villiers, Steve Smith, and Kohli himself. "I feel his wrists are incredible... The way he accesses the leg side... I've been growing up watching him play. Big idol," said Konstas about Kohli in a video posted by cricket.com.au.
Incident
The bump incident and its aftermath
During Konstas's explosive debut, where he scored 60 off 65 balls, Kohli had a shoulder bump with him after an over. The moment went viral and the ICC fined Kohli 20% of his match fee and handed him a demerit point for breaching the code of conduct. Despite the incident, Konstas chose to respect and admire Kohli from afar.
Future prospects
Konstas set to open for Australia in WI Test
Konstas is set to partner with Usman Khawaja as an opener in the first Test against the West Indies. He has already made headlines with his stroke play and is now turning heads with his mindset. If he combines Kohli's wrists, ABD's audacity, Smith's discipline, and Buttler's flamboyance, the cricketing world will have to watch out for him. Notably, Smith will missing the first Test versus WI due to fitness issues. Marnus Labuschagne, meanwhile, has been dropped.
Debut
Konstas was brilliant on debut
In December last year, Konstas became the fourth-youngest Australian to wear the Baggy Green, aged 19 years and 85 days. He made a stunning debut on Boxing Day, scoring a brisk 60 runs off just 65 balls. While he could only manage eight runs in his second outing in Melbourne, his scores in the final Test of that series read 23 & 22. He is now gearing up for his third Test cap.