Teenage opener Sam Konstas is poised to make his Test debut for Australia during the iconic Boxing Day Test against India, becoming the nation’s youngest Test batting debutant in 71 years.
The 19-year-old was called up to replace Nathan McSweeney, who struggled with form, averaging just 14.40 after scoring 72 runs in six innings. With the series locked at 1-1 and two matches remaining, Australia aims to bolster its batting line-up.
“He’s composed, confident, and in a great place mentally. He’ll make his debut on Boxing Day,” said coach Andrew McDonald. “It’s the biggest stage, so why not get it out of the way early? We’re really excited for him.”
Hailing from New South Wales, Konstas will be the youngest Australian batting debutant since Ian Craig in 1953. Earlier this season, he made headlines by scoring two Sheffield Shield centuries against South Australia, becoming the youngest to achieve the feat since Ricky Ponting in 1993.
Coach McDonald explained that Konstas was chosen to bring a fresh challenge to India, as bowlers have dominated the series so far.
“We wanted to try something different,” McDonald said. “Nathan [McSweeney] is Test-level material, but we felt the top order wasn’t firing. It’s a calculated decision, and we believe Sam is up to the task.”
Meanwhile, McDonald expressed optimism about Travis Head’s availability despite a quad strain that kept him from training. Head has been instrumental, amassing 409 runs, including two centuries, in the first three Tests.
Additionally, fast bowler Scott Boland is likely to replace the injured Josh Hazlewood, while all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been declared fit. Captain Pat Cummins will finalize the rest of the line-up ahead of the match, which begins at 23:30 GMT.
