Sam factor boosted Smith

The team doesnrsquot mention it but the player Australia has badly missed is the ultraaggressive opener David WarnerAustralia were without a top order batsman who could disrupt the opposition with their stroke play and make opposition bowlers think differently Well on Boxing Day they found such a player in vibrant young opener Sam KonstasHe not only disrupted India and gave Jasprit Bumrah something to seriously ponder but he also frustrated the opposition In the end Virat Kohli succumbed and resorted to a physical approach This is not the answer cricket isnrsquot a physical game it requires skill and thoughtUnusual strategyKonstasrsquo strategy was sound shift some of the catching fielders and donrsquot allow good bowlers to operate the way they want to or yoursquore in big trouble It was his execution that was so different from Warnerrsquos and it remains to be seen if his is a viable longterm methodIt certainly worked on Boxing Day but India will have noted that whenever Konstas played traditional cricket shots his success rate was extremely low Will this mean in future India tries to force Konstas to play more normal cricket shotsThis is part of the ongoing battle in Test cricket a player arrives batting in an unusual manner then itrsquos up to the opposition bowlers to reassess Once the bowling team reacts then itrsquos the batsman who has to make an adjustment This is an ongoing process until one gains the upper handApart from creating an immediate cult following Konstas made life simpler for his fellow batsmen Konstasrsquo outrageous blitz on the Indian new ball bowlers allowed Australia to burst out of the gates and put themselves in a strong positionIn his own way Konstas caused India to slip into the mentality of feeling sorry for itself about the opposition playing and missing and edges falling short of the cordon It wasnrsquot until late in the day when the batting took on a more normal approach that Bumrah began to reexert some control over the Australian teamIn the build up Konstasrsquo statistical likeness to Ricky Ponting twin centuries in a shield game was noted Normally a statistical likeness with one of Australiarsquos best batsmen incurs placing a heavy burden on the newcomer However Konstas made light of any debutant pressure but the burden will come later when mdash not if mdash he failsBig test aheadItrsquos then that his method will be questioned rather than admired How Konstas reacts will decide whether he has the courage and skill to disregard the doubters as Warner did to become a highly successful batsmanWhat Konstasrsquo gregarious attitude did do was to energise Steve Smith who rediscovered his oldself and began to play with more freedom Smithrsquos stroke play and skipper Pat Cumminsrsquos determination put Australia on the path to a big totalWith Australia dominating the must win Test India needed to mount a strong fight backIt was then that the confident Yashasvi Jaiswal made it the story of two brash young openers as he instituted his own form of disruption Playing with flair scintillating strokes and assurance Jaiswal with solid assistance from a determined Kohli pushed India into safer watersJust when it looked as though India was mounting a serious challenge Jaiswal went and spoiled it all by saying ldquoyesrdquo The inexcusable mixup that followed resulted in Jaiswal being needlessly run out Then Kohli disoriented by the senseless waste lost concentration and his dismissal meant India were in big troubleThe talented young openers from each side played their part in giving this Test a sense of drama but Konstas was better supported by his more experienced team matesNow it remains to be seen if India can regroup and provide the fight needed to keep Australia at bay India will require all the resolve they can muster as the result of this Test could well decide the destination of the BorderGavaskar trophy