Mumbai: The opening day of the Boxing Day Test between India and Australia delivered a gripping contest, with emerging Australian talent Sam Konstas stealing the spotlight and veteran Steve Smith displaying his trademark brilliance. Former India coach Ravi Shastri and ex-Australian coach Justin Langer shared their insights on the day’s action.
Ravi Shastri on Sam Konstas:
“I don’t think anyone’s taken or treated Bumrah like that in any format of the game, let alone red-ball cricket. For him to go out there with that swag and attempt some outrageous shots—it was something else. He tore that MCC coaching manual to shreds. At one point, it felt like India had run out of ideas. They actually didn’t know what hit them. Initially, he missed the first two shots, and there was a smile on the faces of the Indian players. They thought, ‘If he takes chances, we’ll get him quickly.’ But as soon as this started happening, all the smiles disappeared. The ideas disappeared.
Talking about his future Shastri said, I’d say he’ll have his odd failures with the way he plays and the chances he takes. It reminds me a lot of Virender Sehwag when he first burst onto the scene. He’ll entertain when he gets going, and he’s born to entertain. If he plays for any length of time for Australia, he’ll do exactly that.”
Justin Langer on Sam Konstas:
“He’s been given a license to go and attack Bumrah, but that’s not easy—that is so hard to do. Even in T20 cricket, I think Bumrah’s economy rate is as good as anyone. So it’s not easy to do that. But the kid was bold, talking a good game, and then he came and put it into action. That’s what great players do. Anyone can talk a good game. He came and put it into action, and it was exciting to watch.
He’s only played 11 first-class games, but I did speak to KL Rahul before the game. And I said, ‘Have you seen this kid Sam Konstas?’ And he goes, ‘Oh, we only saw him in the Prime Minister’s XI game (50 overs). He was playing these ramp shots and all this sort of stuff.’ Rahul said, ‘But he won’t do that today.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, sure he won’t do that today.’ And straight away, Sam Konstas was doing that.”
Justin Langer on Steve Smith:
“There’s no replacement for runs. His last 100 will give him great confidence. Coming back to number four, his favorite position, has made a big difference. And one thing I’ve said many times is: you never write off champions. They are champions for a reason. When Steve Smith starts playing that pull shot where he extends his arms, and when he begins cover driving, like we saw today, you know he’s in really good shape. India will need to get him out early, or they’ll face a tough time.”
Ravi Shastri on Steve Smith:
“The time he spent at the crease in the last game was crucial. It was a grind—those first 40 or 50 runs—but he went through it. Today, the fluency was much better. He attacked the spinners, and his feet were moving well. Once players like Smith smell the coffee, they don’t stop. He’s not sitting on a hundred here. We’ve seen him in the past—once he gets on a roll, he doesn’t hold back or waste good form when he sees it.”
Ravi Shastri on overall day 1:
“India will be happy that they’ve come back into the contest. I’d still say Australia has the upper hand—they’ve got runs on the board. But at one stage, it looked like Australia would bat India out of the contest. When Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were together, had that partnership carried on, Australia could have ended the day three or four down and in a tremendous position. You’ve got to worry about this pitch now. Once the sun beats down and it gets a little drier, I think the bounce will become a bit uneven. The runs on the board will be crucial.”
