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Australia head coach accuses India players of 'intimidating' Sam Konstas, worries about teenager's 'headspace'
Australia coach Andrew McDonald said that Indian players ‘intimidated’ Sam Konstas during their celebration of Usman Khawaja's wicket on Day 1.
Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald has claimed that India attempted to intimidate teenager Sam Konstas during the tense fifth and deciding Test at the SCG. McDonald expressed his concerns over the on-field spat between Konstas and India’s captain, Jasprit Bumrah, following the dismissal of Usman Khawaja on the final ball of Day 1.
According to McDonald, the manner in which several Indian players swarmed Konstas in celebration after the wicket was "quite intimidating."
“My conversation to him was just around whether he was okay,” McDonald said when discussing his check-in with Konstas after the altercation.
“Clearly the way that India celebrated that it was quite intimidating. It’s clearly within the rules and regulations of the game, as there have been no charges laid.”
McDonald also emphasized that while India’s actions were well within the bounds of the game, they still raised concerns about the mental well-being of the young player.
The incident occurred after the Indian team celebrated a crucial wicket in close proximity to the Australian debutant. McDonald’s worries stemmed from the fact that the celebration seemed directed at Konstas.
"To have an opposition to swarm the non-striker like that, we have a duty of care to make sure he is okay and in a headspace to go out the next day and perform," McDonald added.
Will leave it to ICC
When questioned about whether India’s actions had crossed a line, McDonald referenced the lack of any fines or disciplinary actions.
"It’s clear that it’s acceptable because there was no fines or punishment," he said.
“I will leave that up to the ICC and Andy Pycroft as match referee and the umpires out there. If they thought it was satisfactory, then I suppose that is the benchmark we’re playing towards.”
The situation also stems from a broader context. On Day 1, it seemed Australia’s Usman Khawaja were deliberately stalling during the final over, and when urged to take guard, Konstas interfered; this led to a heated exchange between Bumrah and Konstas.
India’s seamer Prasidh Krishna, one of the first players to engage with Konstas during the altercation, disagreed with the notion that India was rattled by the teenager’s presence.
“I don’t think so. Not yet,” Krishna stated. “We enjoy the way that he plays the game and we would also like to play the game aggressively. Like if we have somebody who comes out and says, ‘I can fight you,’ it’s as a team we want to tell them, ‘you can’t take us for granted, we are all here, the 11 of us versus you.’ If you can be as aggressive that’s fine.”
