Sydney, July 29 (IANS) Describing his explosive Test debut against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2024 as a ‘crazy experience’, Australian opener Sam Konstas said his first game in international cricket was a whirlwind one, adding that he now resolves to ‘redefine’ his game to earn a recall to the red-ball set-up.
Konstas, then a 19-year-old, announced himself on the big stage by taking 18 runs off premier India pacer Jasprit Bumrah during a whirlwind knock of 60 in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of nearly 90,000 fans.
However, after featuring in five Tests, Konstas was dropped following a challenging series in the West Indies, where the top order struggled to click collectively on difficult pitches.
“It was a crazy experience. Looking back at it, it’s a bit like, ‘What was I doing?’, to be honest. But I was lucky enough to put a few away. (With the media scrutiny) I was lucky enough to have good support around me, so I think that was the biggest learning that I had, and just trusting my inner circle.
“Especially going through a tough period when I wasn’t going as well. Then for me, it’s just become the best version of myself, training really hard, getting back to the drawing board, trying to redefine my game and build other skills as well. I wouldn’t change a thing, to be honest. I’m very grateful for those experiences,” said Konstas on SEN Radio.
Returned to domestic duty for the 2025/26 Sheffield Shield season, Konstas finished as New South Wales’ leading run-scorer with 660 runs at an average of 33, placing him fifth in the run-scoring charts overall in a bowler-dominated tournament.
Despite the solid tally, Konstas was unable to capitalise on several promising starts, scoring between 27 and 44 in his final eight innings. The right-hander identified conversion as his primary goal for the upcoming 2026/27 season as he aims to earn a Test recall.
“Obviously it’s good to get a start, but I feel like this year I’ve got to start converting those to big scores. It’s just trying to be totally present, to be honest, with what I’ve been working on, and very deliberate with the way I train my attention to detail. It’s all about just trying to stay focused for longer periods of time.”
With pre-season training underway under new New South Wales head coach Brad Haddin, Konstas mentioned that the squad is pushing its physical limits while drawing inspiration from former state greats, ahead of their Sheffield Shield opener against Tasmania on October 8.
“It’s been tough. We’ve had some tough swims at Bronte Beach with the sharks and some tough runs. We’ve been really emphasising our fitness and trying to stand by our goals as a team as well.
“We’ve been lucky enough to have past players from the New South Wales team come in and share their stories. We had Mark Taylor last week and a few others, so just being really connected as a group has been the emphasis. It’s going to be exciting.”
–IANS
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