G stands for Greece: Sam Konstas makes India look ordinary and ugly

One thing is clear, already. Several ‘I was there’ accounts, television specials, newspaper features will be done on Sam Konstas’s Test debut. The Greek origin-boy with a pencil thin moustache with a bush of hair peeping out from his helmet smashed the Indians, stared at their bowlers, stood up to Virat Kohli and didn’t take one back step. He lap-scooped, reverse-lapped Bumrah, he backed away to smash Mohammad Siraj enroute to a thrill-a-ball knock.

Lee Tarlamis in suit, with the players from Hellenic cricket club (Special Arrangement)

‘Is this chutzpah and spunkiness coming from his Greek side or the Aussie side?!’ Tarlamis, who represented the South Eastern Metropolitan region in the Victorian parliament, laughs and turns diplomatic: “I would say a combination. The Aussie side has allowed him to be as natural as Greek – and that’s a tribute to the people of this country!”

Is there a chance that Konstas’s character can be taken as arrogance? ‘No, he isn’t that feistily-nasty-aggressive, just supremely confident and very young. I think people will take to him.” A large section of 90,000 people at MCG certainly did, and so did his partner Usman Khawaja, who kept laughing at some of the shots or even play-and-misses.

“Don’t miss his lip, when he is at short-leg, likes to talk,” his Australian team-mate Sean Abbott, who has played against him and copped the lip in domestic cricket had said a couple of days ahead of the Test. When Virat Kohli comes to bat, it will be interesting to see how Konstas chirps.

Konstas’s parents Pamela and Jim hail from Patras and Kalamata, the third and second-largest cities in Greece. Tarlamis is also the co-founder of the Greek cricket club in Melbourne – The Hellenic Cricket Club.

Australia’s Sam Konstas celebrates his fifty runs during play on the first day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia. (AP)

Greece is known for football, why a cricket club? “That precisely was one of the reasons. Cricket and Greece have a long history actually, but yes soccer is the main sport. But the young Greek-Australians who wanted to play cricket would be told off by their parents at times to stop cricket and take up soccer.

So, this club was formed to offset that. And when we started we found that there were many Greek-origin players playing in other smaller clubs now and then, who were thrilled to find their home here. We play in the blue and white, the colours of Greece!

“But cricket is not alien to Greece, the connection goes back over 100 years and to this day in the city of Corfu, we have several cricket clubs and one even devoted fully to women.”

And so we turned to the Greek historian Jim Craven who lives in Melbourne to find out more.

“During the period of British rule in 1815-64, cricket was played on the island of Corfu. When the British left, two existing clubs merged to form Corfiot Athletic Club which is still in existence today. During the inter-war years, cricket grew and the locals called the game ‘Fermaro kai issia’ or ‘Block and Wallop!’. Runs became ‘ronia’, wickets were ‘rollinia’ and a drive was ‘pallia’. During the Anzac war, the Australian soldiers recorded episodes of playing cricket regularly with the locals in Greece. There are 20 cricket clubs to date across Corfu, Athens and Ioannina,” Craven writes. “It was played on Corfu before and after the great Greek revolution in 1821 and cis played by Hellenes in Greece and in Australia ever since.”

Australia’s Sam Konstas bats during play on the first day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia. (AP)

There have been the likes of Mark Stoinis, the Greek-origin cricketer who has played for Australia before, but nothing like this sensational Test debut of Konstas.

Everybody knew how Konstas was going to bat on his debut. He himself had announced it: see ball, hit ball. The question was would he walk that talk in front of 90,000 spectators?

He ran out to the middle, after punching the gloves of his opening partner Usman Khawaja, all the way from the boundary to the pitch. He tapped the middle of the pitch, had a chat with the umpire, awaited the entry of Khawaja, who had chosen to walk slowly.

Another punch of gloves, and Sam moved to the other end – from where Jasprit Bumrah was about to bowl the first ball of the MCG Test. Konstas had already spoken about Bumrah before the game that he has a plan for the world’s best bowler.

It wasn’t evident in the first over when Bumrah kept shaping the ball away late, teasing the outside edge. Four balls almost collided with the bat corners. More trouble came in the next couple of overs as he couldn’t quite middle the ball as well before a release of pressure came from a bunted single to the on side.

India’s Jasprit Bumrah reacts as he celebrates the wicket of Australia’s Usman Khawaja during play on the first day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia. (AP)

Konstas likes to stare back at the bowler, irrespective of whether there is stare back or not. A cute shtick of a 19-year old who has grown up watching cricket. Couple of times, Bumrah had almost a smirk as he looked across. Then came the moment everyone in the crowd was waiting.

Konstas moved his right leg towards leg side, and shimmying it back towards off again. The tour game in Canberra would have told the Indians that’s the signal he gives for the lap-scoops. He would miss a couple of attempts as the ball settled into the keeper’s hands.

The first time he did that there was almost a nervous laughter around the stands. Soon, he charged out, but missed again. KL Rahul from third slip would walk a touch ahead towards him; Konstas was on his square-leg walk where he stopped, looked at the skies, opened his eyes wide, almost taking in the sunlight and adjusting to it.

Then came the 7th over of the day. Konstas scooped the first ball from Bumrah to fine-leg boundary. Bumrah hurled the next one fuller and just outside off; that was reverse-scooped for a six over third man. He charged out the next ball, but missed. The fifth ball was lapped over to third man for a four, and Rohit signalled to KL Rahul who had run over to retrieve the ball to stay put there.

Now the Indians were beginning to get more into the act. Siraj with a word or two, Kohli with a stare as he walked past the stumps, and once Konstas backed away to crash a four, he almost ran down, staring at Siraj. The umpire intervened quickly and had a word with Konstas.

KOHLI VS KONSTAS

Then came the Kohli vs Konstas moment in the 19th over. The over had ended and Kohli had the ball. He was, say, at short leg at the other end, Konstas had run across to the opposite end. Kohli cut across a bit to his right and began his walk beside the pitch. Konstas too had cut across a tad to his right and began walking. The two stars were set to collide unless one of them pulled out. Neither did. Bang. Shoulder-barge.

Virat Kohli and Sam Konstas exchanged a heated moment on the MCG. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/QL13nZ9IGI

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 26, 2024

Kohli stopped and turned. So did Konstas. Words flew. Usman Khawaja entered the scene with a smile and his arms around Kohli’s shoulder. The umpire was there too.

Next ball, first ball of a new over from Bumrah, Konstas backed away outside leg to smash a four to long-off. The camera zoomed into the clenched jaw of Kohli.

Konstas had already walked the talk, and by doing it had made Indians forget to target his one weaknesses that everyone in the Australian cricketing circuit knows. The incoming ball. Not only has Scott Boland and others taken him out in first-class cricket, but even a couple of days before this Test, Sean Abbot rattled his stumps with that nip-backer. And hit him on the pads a few times.

That’s the effect an adventurous, dopamine-fuelled teenager can have on the opponents. Red mist can swoop in instead of them remaining calm and calculating. The crowd were fully into it by now as the most awaited Australian debut in recent times has turned into the most exciting debut by any cricketer anywhere in the world in recent memory.

When he was selected his mother, he said, had broken down in joy. “Oh I am not surprised,” says the Greek-origin member of parliament in Australia. “The Greek mothers can be emotional, loud, and passionate. They also tend to worry a bit about what the world will think of certain behaviour of their kids. And also tell you the same. But when someone mentions that behaviour or I dare say criticise, they would be the first one to say ‘our boy or daughter was absolutely right, you go kid! Be yourself!”

It seems Konstas doesn’t even have to worry about all that. Not just his Greek parents, but entire Australia have welcomed him with open arms. It’s time that ‘Fermaro kai issia’, ‘pallia’ and ‘ronia’ starts becoming more commonplace in Australian cricketing lingo.