Speaking on CODE Sports, the young batter broke the silence on his early return, saying he understands the reason behind his exclusion.
Sam Konstas had a fabulous start to his Test career when he debuted against India in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. He scored a quickfire 60 in the first innings to put India under immense pressure and showed his true potential with the willow.
His blazing start to the Test career led to his inclusion in a daunting away Sri Lanka tour, but he was ignored for the first game in Galle. Travis Head was preferred as an opener for the game – a tactical move to counter slow bowlers on a deck favouring spinners heavily.
Soon, Konstas was sent back home to prepare for the Sheffield Shield 2024-25 fixture against Queensland at The Gabba. Speaking on CODE Sports, the young batter broke the silence on his early return, saying he understands the reason behind his exclusion.
“I felt like I was very privileged to be in the squad. And obviously learning from the best players like Steve Smith, Travis Head and Usman Khawaja and how their methods are different in those conditions. I learnt quite a bit. I understood the reasons why. For me, it is just a great learning curve and if I do get another opportunity with the Test team I will grab it with both hands.”
Sam Konstas has been named in the playing XI of New South Wales for their fixture against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield. This will help him get more game time, which wouldn’t have been possible on the Sri Lanka tour.
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The main reason behind his omission was his spin game, which is still under development, and Sri Lanka have skilled spinners for their conditions. He can be as aggressive as Head at the top but can’t bring the same skillsets.
So, the Sheffield Shield game will allow him to improve his handling of spin and learn more before he becomes a regular in Australia’s playing XI in all conditions. He will still open in home Tests but needs a better game for subcontinent conditions.
For now, the best thing for him would be to play as much as possible to maximise his good form and hone his skills. Australia will draft him in the main side whenever the right time comes.
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