After confidently telling Usman Khawaja he would be facing the first ball, Australia's newest cricketing sensation Sam Konstas has credited the veteran opener for helping him stay calm during an unforgettable Boxing Day debut.
The teenager took down Indian megastar Jasprit Bumrah with one of the most memorable innings in the history of the MCG.
Coming in for axed opener Nathan McSweeney, Konstas survived a brutal first over from Bumrah when he played and missed four times, before smashing the third-fastest fifty by an Australian on debut.
The 19-year-old's cavalier 60 from 65 balls was achieved with a range of shots that are rarely attempted at Test level, especially not a youngster on debut in front of 87,242 people.
With a beaming smile during the national anthem before the match, Konstas strode to the wicket well in front of Khawaja, 19 years his senior.
"I always like to go out first, assert my dominance in a way, and try to own the crease," Konstas said.
"I told 'Uzzy' (Khawaja) straight away, I'm facing first ball.
"He's so good to bat with very calm and relaxed and just told me to trust my instincts and back my game."
Khawaja was blown away by what his opening partner did.
Konstas's attacking flair also paved the way for Khawaja posting his best score since January at a time when his place in the team had come under scrutiny.
"I don't care who you are, how good you are ... it takes a lot of courage to be able to do that in Test cricket," Khawaja told Triple M.
"It was pretty special to watch and hopefully it's the start of an amazing career."
Khawaja also played peacemaker when India superstar Virat Kohli bumped into Konstas in a dramatic incident.
The left-hander tried to defuse the situation by putting an arm around Kohli and laughing it off.
Batting guru Neil D'Costa, who has worked with Konstas in the past, called Khawaja a "hero" and a "legend" for helping protect his younger teammate in that situation.
Konstas took Bumrah for 14 runs, including a six, off one jaw-dropping over that comprised all ramp shots.
This was after his first three attempts at the T20-style manoeuvre failed to come off.
"It probably will look silly if I did get out, but I've worked pretty hard on that shot, and I feel like it's probably a safe shot for me," Konstas said.
"I think that's the beauty about being young, and may be a bit naive, but I'm just trying to put pressure back on the bowlers in the best way I can."
