‘Could be only one winner’: Johnson lambasts Sam Konstas for enabling India and Bumrah's ‘two against 11’ mindset

Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson believes Sam Konstas, 19, has much to learn after his act of riling Jasprit Bumrah up during the Sydney Test went horribly wrong. Australia won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1, but all the chatter concerns Konstas and his altercation with Jasprit Bumrah on Day 1 of the Sydney Test. Mitchell Johnson believes Sam Konstas has much to learn after his act of riling Jasprit Bumrah up during the Sydney Test went horribly wrong. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP) (AFP)

Before the dying minutes of Day 1, Sam Konstas had a thing or two to say to Bumrah from the non-striker's end. Bumrah did not appreciate the teenager constantly chirping and gave him a piece of his mind.

Two balls later, Bumrah removed Usman Khawaja and immediately charged towards Konstas. The entire Indian lineup came running towards the Australian opener. This act was earlier described by Australian coach Andrew McDonald as "intimidating".

However, India's head coach, Gautam Gambhir, denied this allegation, saying cricket is played by tough men, and there is no room for being "soft."

In his column for The Nightly, Johnson said, "Australia’s Usman Khawaja, who was dismissed on the last ball of the day after delaying play to try and face only two more deliveries. This latter moment triggered a verbal exchange between fellow opener Sam Konstas and an animated Jasprit Bumrah, with India having the last laugh just a couple of balls later."

"When it comes to a showdown between the batsman and bowler, it’s often the bowler who comes out on top. A batsman can fall to one poor shot or be undone by one ball that is perfectly delivered, and with that comes a chorus of celebration from the bowler and teammates. So engaging in banter or a battle with a bowler requires intense focus, as any lapse could lead to a dismissal, and then the player has to deal with the repercussions," he added. '

'Simply the wrong time'

Mitchell Johnson, who is no stranger to on-field controversies, said Konstas picked the wrong moment as there could have only been one winner at that stage of play.

"Konstas’ inexperience showed when he inserted himself into a situation he probably shouldn’t have. Khawaja, being an experienced player, knows how to manage such moments, and the teenager should have left it to him," Johnson wrote.

"I appreciate what Konstas was trying to do by supporting his teammate, but it was simply the wrong time for that kind of engagement. At that late stage of the day, there could only be one winner. I wonder if Khawaja had a chat with Konstas or if any of the other senior players offered him some advice after the day’s play on how to navigate such situations," he added.

Johnson also spoke about how the Indian lineup embraced the mindset of 'two against 11'. However, he also said that the Indian lineup failed to intimidate Sam Konstas and debutant Sam Konstas.

"The Indian side appeared to embrace the mindset that it was “two against 11” out in the middle, aiming to make the Aussie batters feel isolated and under pressure. Trying to intimidate the Aussie rookies didn’t really pay off with both Konstas and Beau Webster proving their worth," wrote Johnson.

Click here to read article