Konstas goes berserk with the bat after Kohli bumps into him

MELBOURNE: Australian debutant Sam Konstas turned up the heat after Virat Kohli bumped into him after the last ball of the tenth over, seemingly in an attempt to get into the 19-year-old’s head. Unfortunately for India, it backfired, as Konstas took out his frustrations on Jaspirit Bumrah.

After Konstas scored five runs in the first five overs, the Aussie debutant found his rhythm against India’s star bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, in the seventh. On the very first ball of the over, he would hit a scoop shot over the wicket keeper to get his first boundary of the match. Konstas would then try his hand at a reverse scoop, sending Bumrah’s deliver over the slips for six. A couple dots later, he would hit another reverse scoop. It would fall just short of the boundary, earning him another four.

The exceptional batting of Konstas would reach another gear in the 11th over. And it may be the fault of Virat Kohli. After the last ball of the 10th over, the Aussie was walking to the strikers end when Kohli bumped into him. The Indian batter seemed to go out of his way to collide with the 19-year-old, possibly in an attempt to unsettle him.

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However, it only served to motivate Konstas, as he would put on an incredible show against Bumrah in the 11th over. Right away he would hit a four, driving the ball straight to mid-off. A couple balls later, he would slam a six over mid-on to the dismay of the Indian fast bowler. And on the very next ball, he would steer the ball through gully for another four. The three boundaries, along with a couple doubles, would give Konstas 18 runs in the over, taking his score from 27 to 45.

The Aussie completed his half century on the first ball of the 14th over, and would hit another boundary on the next delivery from Mohammad Siraj.

Ravindra Jadeja would be the one to dismiss Konstas in the 20th over. Konstas botched an attempt to defend against the delivery from Jadeja, which slid past the Aussie’s bat’s inside edge before colliding with his front pad.

Konstas ended his first ever international innings with 60 runs off 65 deliveries, hitting four fours and two sixes in the process.

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