By Lachlan Geleit
Nathan McSweeney had somewhat of a difficult time watching Sam Konstas bat during the last two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.
McSweeney, who opened the batting in the first three Tests, was dropped for Boxing Day at the expense of 19-year-old Konstas who had a memorable debut at the MCG, making 60 from 65 balls on the morning of Day 1.
While the South Australian skipper found the last two Tests occasionally hard to watch from the couch, he was happy to see Konstas perform on the big stage after the duo formed a bond during the pre-tour Australia A series.
“It's a weird one, I played a couple of Australia A games with Sammy, and we got on really well,” McSweeney told SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“When I got the opportunity he sent me a text, and obviously when he got the opportunity I reached out.
“I'm a cricket lover, so from that it was amazing to watch. It looked like a pretty impressive atmosphere at the MCG, and on your first Test, to take the risks he did and execute them the way he did was amazing.
“As we saw, it put them under pressure, and they started bowling balls that we hadn't seen that series.
“So, credit to him, he took it on and got the team off to a great start.”
While McSweeney initially wasn’t all that happy to lose his spot in the XI, he has taken the decision for what it was as he looks to earn his place in the team again.
“The last two Tests, you know, we won,” McSweeney said.
“It’s never, I guess, a nice feeling to get dropped and initially you’re not that happy and it’s hard to watch at times.
“But the longer it goes on, the more you can reflect and take it for what it is.”
McSweeney, alongside Konstas, now head to Sri Lanka for a two-Test series beginning on January 29 in Galle.
Crafted by Project Diamond