Young Batter Sam Konstas, 19, to Debut for Australia in Boxing Day Test

Opener Sam Konstas, 19, is scheduled to make his Test debut for Australia men in the upcoming Boxing Day Test against India, becoming the youngest Australian Test batting debutant in 71 years. Konstas holds a first-class average of 42.23 across 18 innings. The 19-year-old was brought into the squad last week as a replacement for Nathan McSweeney, who had accumulated only 72 runs over six innings, averaging 14.40. The series between Australia and India is currently level at 1-1, with two matches remaining. Australia coach Andrew McDonald commented on Konstas’s readiness, stating, “He’s composed, relaxed, knows his game is in a good place at the moment, he’ll play Boxing Day.” McDonald added, “We’re really excited for him, Boxing Day, the biggest stage. He might as well get that one out of the way early.” Konstas, who plays for New South Wales, will be Australia’s youngest batting debutant since Ian Craig in 1953. Earlier in the current season, Konstas achieved two centuries against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield, a feat not accomplished by a player so young since Ricky Ponting in 1993. McDonald indicated that Konstas’s selection is intended to challenge India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, particularly given that bowlers have largely dominated the series thus far. “We want to throw a different challenge at India at this point in time,” McDonald explained. Regarding the change, he said, “We believe Nathan [McSweeney] is good enough for Test level. We weren’t sure about how the top order was functioning. We challenged ourselves for that decision. Whether it works or not, time will tell (but) we’re really confident that Sam can do the job.” McDonald also expressed confidence that Travis Head would be fit to participate, despite a quad strain that prevented him from training on Monday. The 30-year-old left-handed batter has scored 409 runs, including two centuries, in the first three Tests. Furthermore, McDonald mentioned that paceman Scott Boland would likely replace the injured Josh Hazlewood, and confirmed that all-rounder Mitchell Marsh is fit to play. Skipper Pat Cummins is expected to announce the complete Australia line-up on Wednesday. The match is scheduled to commence at 23:30 GMT. Ball-by-ball commentary for the match will be available on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, and the BBC Sport website and app, where video highlights will also be provided (all for UK users only).