Konstas debut confirmed, head under injury cloud for Boxing Day

Sam Konstas will become the 468th Australian men's Test player on Boxing Day, but star forward Travis Head remains under a fitness cloud ahead of the crucial fourth NRMA Insurance Test against India.

Coach Andrew McDonald confirmed on Christmas Eve that Konstas would make his Test debut, with the 19-year-old becoming the youngest to ride on the Baggy Green since 18-year-old Pat Cummins made his debut in 2011.

McDonald noted this was a break with Australian testing protocols, with skipper Cummins usually confirming the playing XI on the eve of the match or at the toss.

But officiating selector Tony Dodemaide informed Konstas during training at the MCG this morning that he will receive his cap in front of a packed crowd on Thursday, both to quell speculation and allow the batting group to formulate their plans.

“We wanted clarity for our batting unit before the team meeting,” McDonald told reporters today.

“It's something we don't normally do because we don't have too many moving parts, but we thought we could get that out of the way so everyone knows he's on the team.

“He (Konstas) is very similar to what I have seen from outside within (the team), calm, relaxed and knows his game.

“And what he has shown is a range of shots, the ability to put pressure on opponents and he gets his chances.

“We are very excited for him.

“Boxing Day is the biggest stage, you might as well get that out of the way early.”

However, Head is not a sure starter after McDonald stated on Tuesday that the star batsman suffered “a minor quad strain” while batting in Australia's shortened second innings on the final day of the third Test at the Gabba.

Although the coach is “really confident” that Head will be deemed fit, the left-hander still needed clearance from the medical staff to ensure his movements were not restricted while batting or in the field.

Head, leading run-scorer for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series and player of the match in the past two Tests, faced only deliveries from assistant coach Brad Hodge instead of his fast-bowling teammates in the MCG nets today.

“I thought he looked good with the bat in his hands, so the skills are obviously fine,” McDonald said.

'It just depends on the risk involved.

“But no worries from my side, he was able to run his course, so I think he will be functional during the match.”

McDonald refused to speculate on who could take Australia's place in the middle order if Head fails to prove his suitability, with uncapped duo Josh Inglis and Beau Webster among the relief hitters in the squad.

But Scott Boland was all but confirmed to replace Josh Hazlewood (calf injury), despite McDonald slamming the scorching temperature forecast for the first day to make the normally lively MCG pitch more batsman-friendly than usual.

McDonald admitted that the extreme weather with a high of 40 degrees Celsius expected on Thursday is likely to add additional consideration to the coin toss at a venue where four of the past five Tests have seen teams sent into the bat.

The fifth occasion was the most recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy match in 2020, with Australian skipper Tim Paine opting to bat and his team being bowled out for 195 on the opening day before being defeated by eight wickets.

“Traditionally it's bowling first but with the heat all around it looks the same but probably a bit better than what it has done in previous years so decisions for the captains to make at the toss,” said McDonald, while also confirmed the recall of MCG crowd favorite Boland. .

“I think this wicket can provide a bit more surface for the batters as the game progresses.

“If we haven't picked Scotty here – and I know I'm not supposed to announce the team because that's Pat's job tomorrow – but I don't think I'll come to the ground on Boxing Day if Scotty isn't in the eleven.

“We have a lot of depth in our bowling, and (all-rounder) Mitch Marsh is fully fit and capable of bowling.

“But he (Boland) is ready to go and I think he will play a bigger role with the ball in this Test match than in the last one.”

McDonald also backed top pair Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne, who, like dropped opener Nathan McSweeney, have borne the brunt of Indian pace ace Jasprit Bumrah's new ball attack.

The Australian coach said Khawaja's preparation suggested a significant score was not far away, even though the southpaw has reached 20 just once in his past eight Test innings.

“I think he's doing well, Usman is no problem,” McDonald said today. “Obviously the batting has been quite difficult lately with the ball dominating.

“But his method is clear, the way he has prepared is clear and good players always return to the runs.

“I am sure this will be the case in the next few Test matches.”

And McDonald reiterated that Labuschagne, whose 64 in the second Test in Adelaide was crucial in Australia's 10-wicket win but represented his only score above 12 for the series, was at his best when he was proactive in the middle.

“We know pretty much exactly when he (Labuschagne) is at his best, he's showing intent, he's working at the crease and we saw that in Adelaide,” McDonald said today.

“He can be quite annoying at the crease and on Boxing Day we would like to see an annoying Marnus.”

NRMA Insurance Men's Test Series vs India

First test: India won by 295 runs

Second test: Australia won by 10 wickets

Third test: Match drawn

Fourth test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10:30am AEDT

Fifth test: January 3-7: SCG, Sydney, 10:30am AEDT

Australian selection: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc , Beau Webster

Indian selection: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep , Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal