'Konstas tore MCC coaching manual to shreds': Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri

Sam Konstas tore the MCC coaching manual to shreds with his brazen batting approach and flippant treatment of an intimidating Jasprit Bumrah, former India coach Ravi Shastri said on Thursday, adding that the Australian teenager reminded him of legendary Virender Sehwag.

Konstas, 19, grabbed eyeballs with his scintillating batting on Test debut. He had the Indian camp in disbelief with his bold ramp shots off Bumrah, one of the most revered fast bowlers in modern-day cricket. "I don't think anyone's taken or treated Bumrah like that in any format of the game, let alone red-ball cricket," Shastri told Star Sports.

"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." Shastri said 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."

Shastri said Konstas is a pure entertainer like former India opener Sehwag and predicted a successful Australia career for the teenager. "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 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."

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