Hyderabad: Australian youngster Sam Konstas has taken responsibility of provoking Jasprit Bumrah which led to a verbal spat between the two in the Sydney Test of the India-Australia Test series. The move backfired on the Australian team as Bumrah got rid of Usman Khawaja in the next couple of deliveries. Only 15 minutes were left before the conclusion of the day’s play and the Australia’s opening duo of Khawaja and Konstas faced a tough task surviving against the Indian pace duo of Bumrah and Siraj on a green SCG track.
Things transpired when Khawaja stepped away from a delivery when Bumrah was loading his run-up. The move from the Australian southpaw irked Bumrah and he was seen frustrated with the Australian’s antics. Konstas, who was at the non-striker’s end intervened with some fiery words and it led to a heated altercation between him and Bumrah. However, the whole sequence of events pumped up Bumrah and he responded by sending Khawaja back to the pavilion. Also, Bumrah celebrated the wicket in front of Konstas to tease him.
Sam Konstas Said “Uzi (Usman Khwaja) was dismissed. It was my fault. Khawaja was trying to buy some time. Credit goes to Jasprit Bumrah for his magnificent bowling” (7 Cricket)pic.twitter.com/BLFNIbl5sN
— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) January 7, 2025
Reflecting on the incident, Konstas admitted that it was his mistake.
"I didn't get too fazed. Unfortunately, Uzi got out. He was trying to buy some time. It was probably my fault, but it happens. It's cricket. Credit to Bumrah for the wicket, but overall, it was a great team performance," he said while speaking to Triple M Cricket.
“Oh, I didn’t get too fazed. “Unfortunately, Uzi got out. He was trying to buy some time a little bit. It was probably my fault, but it happens. It’s cricket. Credit to Bumrah. He got the wicket, but obviously great performance from the team."
— Cricdiction (@cricdiction) January 7, 2025
- sam konstas#Cricket… pic.twitter.com/xWDL5Ka3Fy
Konstas left his mark in the series by scoring a maiden half-century and also garnered the limelight with his aggression in the middle. Apart from riling up Bumrah, Konstas was also involved in an incident with Virat Kohli where the Indian stalwart shoulder bumped into him and received a fine from ICC (International Cricket Council) for his antics.
