Pat Cummins gives teen sensation Sam Konstas license to thrill against India in SCG showdown

After producing one of the most extraordinary Test debuts of all time, Sam Konstas won’t be toning down his audacious approach at the crease after being handed the keys to entertain by his captain.

Captain Pat Cummins has given Sam Konstas a licence to thrill in front of his home fans in what shapes as an epic SCG showdown.

In a sign of how the system is still catching up with his hurricane arrival to the Test scene, Konstas walked out for an Australian team photo with Glenn McGrath on Wednesday wearing Josh Inglis’ pink-adorned playing strip, with his own still in production.

Konstas lit up the MCG with his risk-taking ramp shots on Boxing Day in what will go down as one of the most extraordinary Test debuts of all time, and Cummins won’t be telling his 19-year-old opener to tone down the audaciousness in Sydney.

“Yeah absolutely. I think maybe lost among some of the shots he’s played, I actually thought it was really good process in his decision-making,” Cummins said.

“It was calculated. After that first over or two he summed it up and thought, ‘OK, my best plan here isn’t just to block and wait to nick one, it’s to take the game on, put the pressure back on’, and I think he took some really good options.

“It’s always just decision-making. Sometimes it’s not going to come off, sometimes it will, but I absolutely back his decision-making process.”

Sam Konstas donning the 'baggy pink' cap in honour of the McGrath Foundation. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Konstas opted against having a hit in the SCG nets on New Year’s Day but will pad up for a batting session on Thursday as he prepares for another must-watch clash with Indian fast bowling maestro, Jasprit Bumrah.

Cummins admitted he was completely blown away by Konstas confidence and composure making his Test debut as a teenager in front of the biggest Test match crowd ever in Australia on its grandest stage, Boxing Day.

Sam Konstas’ confidence at the crease has taken the cricketing world by storm. Picture: Michael Klein

“Going into that Test match, the series 1-1 – you know it’s going to be one of the biggest crowds ever for a Test match, it’s Boxing Day and he didn’t seem overawed. He seemed excited about it, which is a really good trait,” Cummins said.

“The morning of Boxing Day, how are you feeling?

“Yep, slept well, just like any other day. Puff the chest out, let’s go – which I love.

Sam Konstas' family with Jasprit Bumrah.

- Jhye Richardson with a cameo. 🤣❤️ pic.twitter.com/wldpAptaF2

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 1, 2025

“If everyone was like that your team is in a pretty good place I think.

“It’s one thing to say that, but then to actually go out, I think he even surprised all of us with just how brave he was in that first innings.”

Konstas had an explosive run-in with Virat Kohli at the MCG, when the Indian captain deliberately shouldercharged the teenager in an apparent attempt to throw him off his game.

The Konstas-Kohli collision that had everyone talking. Picture: Martin KEEP / AFP

A more timid character would have been completely rattled by being challenged by his boyhood hero, but Konstas stood his ground and appeared to revel in the hostility.

Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey played down any ongoing angst between Konstas and Kohli.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Carey said.

Virat Kohli with Sam Konstas' brothers. pic.twitter.com/mSKZdWmsUa

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 1, 2025

“I think I saw a photo of them shaking hands and a little tap on the back.

“It’s Test cricket. I’m not 100 per cent sure, but Sam didn’t take it to heart.”

The energetic Sam Konstas has been a hit with the fans. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Carey said Konstas had energised the entire dressing room and admitted he was still recovering from the kid’s first innings take down of Bumrah.

“I was a spectator that first session,” Carey said.

“I probably had the emotions of the 90,000 that were there. At times I couldn’t watch it, at times I was cheering.

“But just the energy he brought, it was something different. I probably wasn’t expecting that amount of difference, but he played a style of cricket that was probably new to India as well.

“We’ll wait and see how he plays out here. I don’t think that’s his blueprint every Test match, but to be able to throw a few punches early and get a bit of momentum for us.”