Konstas, Khawaja give Australia a solid base

Konstas, Khawaja Give Australia a Solid Base

Usman Khawaja and debutant Sam Konstas built a solid foundation for Australia, scoring 176/2 at the Tea interval on the first day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Konstas scored a quickfire 60 off 52 balls, while Khawaja remained unbeaten on 57.

Konstas was particularly aggressive, hitting 8 boundaries and taking on India's pace ace Jasprit Bumrah. He reverse-scooped and charged at Bumrah, scoring 34 runs off the 33 balls he faced from the Indian bowler. This allowed Khawaja to face only three balls from Bumrah in his opening spell, giving him a relatively fuss-free start to his innings.

In the morning session, Australia won the toss and made all the early running. Konstas scored a 65-ball 60, while Khawaja scored 44*. Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Konstas for 60, ending an 89-run opening stand.

Bumrah managed to beat Konstas' bat four times in the early exchanges, but the youngster's response was to try a pair of reverse scoops, connecting thrice and hitting two boundaries and a six. This turned the match-up on its head and forced Bumrah to bowl white-ball lengths.

Khawaja and Labuschagne continued to bat steadily, facing tight lines from India's seamers. The second session was largely attritional, with India's bowlers making up for the lack of zip off the surface by bowling very tight lines.

Brief Scores: Australia 176/2 (Sam Konstas 60, Marnus Labuschagne 44*; Ravindra Jadeja 1-33) vs India