Australia excited for Konstas debut

Konstas has been confirmed among Australia’s batting line-up for their fourth Test against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and is set to become their youngest Test batting debutant since Ian Craig in 1953.

The 19-year-old was called up in place of Nathan McSweeney, who had played as one of Australia’s openers but struggled to find his rhythm, scoring just 72 runs across six innings.

He was told of his involvement on Boxing Day in training on Tuesday, as Australia aim to take an advantage in the series.

“We wanted clarity for our batting unit before the team meeting,” coach Andrew McDonald told reporters.

“It’s something we don’t usually do because we haven’t had too many moving parts, but we thought we’d get that out of the way, so everyone knows that he’s in the team.

“He [Konstas] has been very similar to what I’ve seen on the outside within [the team] – composed, relaxed, knows his game.

“And what he’s shown is an array of shots, the ability to put pressure back onto opponents and he gets his opportunity.

“We’re really excited for him.

“Boxing Day is the biggest stage, you may as well get that one out of the way early.”

The series is level at 1-1 heading into the fourth Test in Melbourne.