Sam Konstas’ second coming: Australia’s long-term opener or an experiment doomed to fail?

Is he the cavalier Test batter who took down Jasprit Bumrah, a more traditional opener or a combination of both? It’s the Sam Konstas question set to define the next era of Australian cricket.

Sam Konstas’ path back to the Australian Test team started with deleting a video from his phone and dusting off his old school diary.

After the 19-year-old prodigy made headlines for a batting brain explosion facing Scott Boland in the Sheffield Shield, his coaches told him in no uncertain terms that while adrenaline taking over on Test debut was understandable, rushes of blood at the crease could not continue.

To kickstart the process of better controlling his impulses, Konstas was advised by coach Tahmid Islam to delete a highlights video he had kept of the 97-ball 107 he smashed for the PM’s XI against India’s Test attack at Manuka Oval last November.

The spectacular innings helped propel Konstas into Australian calculations, but Islam was concerned the aggressive shot-making in the 50-over pink ball match did not properly reflect who Konstas was as a batsman and gave a dangerous false impression of a blueprint for Test match batting.

Sam Konstas gets out

Konstas deleted the video and went back to the real foundation for his success, a diary he has methodically kept of every single training session and match he has played since he was 13 years of age.

The journal with page after page of handwritten notes will be with him in the West Indies as he prepares for his much-anticipated return to the top of the Test order next week in Barbados.

“All the time (I take it around). I’m very particular with the way I prep about things and what I like to work on,” Konstas told this masthead.

“It’s quite a thick diary. It’s my school diary. I’ve filled that up already. Now I’m onto a new one.

“Each session I would always have the goal in what I want to improve on or what I want to focus on.

Sam Konstas ramps Scott Boland

“And obviously writing in my diary just so I know to keep my checkpoints consistent for me to keep it repeatable.

“They’re the big things for me. My take outs. Just trying to be as consistent as possible.

“I reflect on the last net session. What can be improved on and just little tweaks with my technique.

“I feel like especially when you’re not going as good we try and look for answers and there’s the certainty of writing answers in your notebook.

“Sometimes you overthink your technique whereas you’ve just got to keep trusting it.

“For me it’s just trying to focus on the controllables and forget about the external noise and what people say. Just trying to have tunnel vision and have good people around you that you trust and can talk things about.”

Konstas has made technical adjustments since last summer aimed at trying to open up his front foot slightly more in his stance.

“Just to get better access and try and defend a lot better when it’s tighter,” Konstas said.

The fruit of his labour was obvious in the nets in London as he trained sharply ahead of the World Test Championship Final.

But the biggest lessons Konstas has tried to put into practice are around the mental side of the game and specifically how to keep his head and make better decisions at the crease.

Sam Konstas quote

Some honest conversations came to a head after he tried to recklessly smack Victorian Test bowler Boland out of the SCG from the first over of a game for NSW, only to be bowled.

“I’m pretty lucky with the coaches I’ve got, I’ve got good support around me. For me they just told me what is my game plan, and for me I didn’t stick to my game plan that innings,” Konstas said.

“It was just as simple as that. It’s understanding where I’m going to get my runs with the bowlers and that’s what I did really well the last two games (of the Shield season following the Boland dismissal).”

Critics were alarmed that the uncontrolled shotmaker who tried to take down Boland was not the same organised and technically correct batsman who had made hundreds through every grade including in the Shield.

Steve Smith is a good judge and has seen a generation of young batsmen come through the ranks, and he rates Konstas as the best talent since Will Pucovski.

Konstas concedes in hindsight the Prime Minister’s XI blitz of India’s bowling superstars – brought on in part because rain reduced it to a limited overs game – did play a part in throwing him off his normal method.

“I think it was a bit different that month period, especially when I played the Aussie A stuff, the way I batted,” Konstas said.

“I feel like I’m trying to understand my game well again now. Understanding when to shift gears, when to soak pressure. I feel like the last two games was the right tempo and hopefully I can keep building from that.

Sam Konstas carves the ball through the off side. Picture: Supplied

Konstas has the crowd in the palm of his hand on debut. Picture: Supplied

“This year with the red ball I want to try and keep it as simple as possible. Just try and knuckle down.

“Still have good intent and understand when to take risks, but also when to soak up the pressure.

“We’re just focusing on my breathing a bit more and just trying to go through my process each ball.

“So not getting too fazed about who is bowling or being (obsessed) with the scoreboard.

“Trying to be in the present moment.

“It’s easier said than done, but that’s what I’ve been working really hard on and hopefully that can translate to the game.”

So as he prepares to play his third Test match and cement his place as an opener for the Ashes … who is the real Sam Konstas the batsman?

“I’d like to describe myself as someone who can change gears and can understand when to soak up pressure,” Konstas said.

All eyes are on him, with a nation hoping a star of the future can rise.

Originally published as Sam Konstas’ second coming: Australia’s long-term opener or an experiment doomed to fail?