The Indian men’s cricket team, under the leadership of captain Rohit Sharma, is currently engaged in a five-match Test series known as the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia, captained by Pat Cummins, on Australian soil. The series stands at an intriguing 1-1 as the teams head into the fourth Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
In order to secure a place in the World Test Championship Final (WTC), India must win all remaining matches in the series while hoping for favorable results elsewhere. Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, won the toss and decided to bat first, giving 19-year-old opening batsman Sam Konstas his Test debut. He opened the batting with Usman Khawaja, successfully disrupting the Indian bowlers’ strategies.
By the end of the first 10 overs, Australia had surged to 44 runs without losing a wicket. In the midst of this fast start, a notable incident occurred involving the shoulder bump between Sam Konstas and former Indian captain Virat Kohli.
The shoulder bump quickly captured widespread attention, prompting reactions from players both current and retired within the cricketing community. Former Australian cricketer Lisa Sthalekar commented on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “Both Konstas and Kohli held their grounds whilst walking between the wickets. The young kid was not at all overawed by the King!! More footage has come to light which shows one person held their line.”
Sam Konstas impressed on his debut by scoring a half-century before departing for 60 runs off 65 balls in the 20th over of the innings. He was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja, providing India with their first breakthrough. By the end of the first day at the MCG, Australia had managed to reach a score of 311 for 6.
Alyssa Healy, Australian women’s team captain, expressed her disappointment over the incident, stating, “Probably more disappointing than anything else that your experienced player, one of your best players in the country, as well is quite visibly looking at the wider picture and made a beeline for the youngest player in the opposition. It doesn’t really set the greatest tone for your side. But if that’s one way the Indian team wants to approach it, so be it. But it didn’t rattle him (Sam Konstas) one bit.”
Meanwhile, the Australian women’s team is set to participate in the much-anticipated Women’s Ashes series, a multi-format showdown commencing on 12th January 2025 and concluding on 2nd February 2025. This series will feature three ODIs, three T20Is, and a one-off Pink Ball Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) starting on 30th January 2025.
Image Source: Alyssa Healy @ Instagram
