Meet Sam Konstas: The Prime Minister's XI Opener Who Scored 100 Against India in Practice Match

19-year-old right-handed batter Sam Konstas showcased his immense talent by scoring a magnificent century against India for Australia Prime Minister's XI in the pink-ball practice game at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. Despite the rain interrupting play on Day 1, Konstas' innings helped Prime Minister's XI reach a total of 240 runs in the 46 overs-per-side contest, leaving everyone impressed with his skills.

In the practice match against India, which is being played under lights, Konstas eventually played a knock of 107 runs off just 97 balls, with the help of 14 fours and one six. He took a special liking to Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna, and the right-hander kept dispatching them for boundaries.

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transform: rotate(32deg); animation: shinerMooving 3s infinite; z-index: 1; filter: blur(1px); } @keyframes shinerMooving { 0% { left: -40px; } 100% { left: 150%; } } Top 15 buys at IPL 2025 Auction Rishabh Pant ₹ 27 Cr DC LSG Total Match 111 Total Runs 3284 Highest Score 128 runs Shreyas Iyer ₹ 26.75 Cr KKR PBKS Total Match 115 Total Runs 3127 Highest Score 96 runs Venkatesh Iyer ₹ 23.75 Cr KKR KKR Total Match 50 Total Runs 1326 Highest Score 104 runs Wickets 3 Best Bowling 2/29 Arshdeep Singh ₹ 18 Cr PBKS PBKS Total Match 65 Total Runs 29 Highest Score 10 runs Wickets 76 Best Bowling 5/32 Yuzvendra Chahal ₹ 18 Cr RR PBKS Total Match 260 Total Runs 37 Highest Score 8 runs Wickets 205 Best Bowling 5/40 Jos Buttler ₹ 15.75 Cr RR GT Total Match 107 Total Runs 3582 Highest Score 124 runs KL Rahul ₹ 14 Cr LSG DC Total Match 132 Total Runs 4683 Highest Score 132 runs Trent Boult ₹ 12.50 Cr RR MI Total Match 104 Total Runs 83 Highest Score 17 runs Wickets 121 Best Bowling 4/18 Jofra Archer ₹ 12.50 Cr MI RR Total Match 35 Total Runs 195 Highest Score 27 runs Wickets 46 Best Bowling 3/15 Josh Hazlewood ₹ 12.50 Cr RCB RCB Total Match 12 Total Runs - Highest Score - Wickets 12 Best Bowling 3/24 Mohammed Siraj ₹ 12.25 Cr RCB GT Total Match 93 Total Runs 109 Highest Score 14 runs Wickets 93 Best Bowling 4/21 Mitchell Starc ₹ 11.75 Cr KKR DC Total Match 41 Total Runs 105 Highest Score 29 runs Wickets 51 Best Bowling 4/15 Phil Salt ₹ 11.50 Cr DC RCB Total Match 21 Total Runs 653 Highest Score 89 runs Ishan Kishan ₹ 11.25 Cr MI SRH Total Match 105 Total Runs 2644 Highest Score 99 runs Wickets - Best Bowling - Jitesh Sharma ₹ 11 Cr PBKS RCB Total Match 40 Total Runs 730 Highest Score 49 runs Check Full Coverage

Even the short ball was handled perfectly by Konstas. The Australian selectors now must be scratching their heads considering the poor form of Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne in the first Test against India, which the visitors eventually won by 295 runs.

All you need to know about Sam Konstas

The right-handed batter, Konstas was born on October 2, 2005. He plays domestic cricket for New South Wales. Recently, he slammed twin hundreds in the Sheffield Shield match against South Australia, becoming the youngest player to achieve this feat in Sheffield Shield since Ricky Ponting in 1993.

He was also recently named in Australia's U19 squad for the tour to England. He then represented Australia in the U19 World Cup, and in a match against West Indies, he smashed 108 runs off 121 balls.

It was in November 2023 that he made his first-class debut against Tasmania. Last year, Sydney Thunder also signed him in the Big Bash League (BBL).

Konstas has been making headlines ever since his name was deliberated upon by Australian selectors for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. However, the youngster was not picked in the squad as he was pipped by Nathan McSweeney.

Nathan McSweeney who made his Test debut for Australia at the Optus Stadium, Perth, registered scores of 10 and 0 against India. He was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah in both innings.

Even Marnus Labuschagne is under fire for his performances in the last two years. In Perth, he was dismissed for 2 in the first innings. The right-hander played 52 balls and had a strike rate of 3.84, making it the slowest knock in Test history by an Australian top-order batter.

McSweeney has not been named in the Australian squad for the second Test, however, he might get a look in for the remaining three Tests, if the poor string of scores continues for Marnus and McSweeney.

India and Australia will now square off in the second Test in Adelaide, beginning December 6. The match will be played under lights.

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