2 days Ago By Scott Bailey
Sam Konstas has exchanged barbs with Jasprit Bumrah in a heated end to day one of the fifth Test in Sydney, with umpires needing to get between the pair. In a dramatic final over of play, Bumrah and Konstas first clashed when Usman Khawaja pulled away from a ball, with India's captain accusing him of delaying to ensure this would be the day's last over. Konstas inserted himself by chatting back at Bumrah, prompting both umpires to intervene and order their pair back to their positions.
With tensions high, Khawaja was then caught at second slip on the final ball of the day and India's talismanic seamer and several teammates ran straight at Konstas to celebrate in his face. The incident became the flashpoint of a chaotic opening day after India were bowled out for 185 and Australia went to stumps at 1-9. Konstas has clearly got under India's skin in his first two Tests.
He was shoulder-bumped between overs by Virat Kohli on debut in Melbourne last week, a move that incurred the India veteran a fine of 20 per cent of his match fee. It's possible Friday's Bumrah-Konstas exchange could also come under the spotlight. There is also the question of whether Konstas's exchange acted to fire up Bumrah before the great quick landed a crucial blow for the tourists in snaring Khawaja's wicket.
Konstas showed his aggression with the bat immediately on Friday, charging Bumrah's first ball and hitting him for four late in the day. "I'm not really sure (what happened), it was an interesting one," Australia's debutant Beau Webster said. "I was sitting next to Heady (Travis Head) in the rooms watching on TV.
"The first ball when he ran down the wicket and clipped him over mid wicket there was no surprise anymore. It was just like, 'Here we go, he's away'. "He is a very confident young man.
That's what they do these days, they get after it and put themselves out there. "He's got all the skills and talent to back it up, so hopefully he has a really good day tomorrow and puts some good runs on the board and puts us in a decent position." India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant also played down the situation after play.
"I feel they had a little chit chat, they wanted to waste some time. I think that's the reason he had a conversation with Jasi (Bumrah)," Rashibh said. "He said something, I didn't hear it, but I feel that's the only thing which he wanted to do was just waste some time so we don't bowl one more over.
".
