Australia coach Andrew McDonald accuses India of ‘intimidation’ towards teenage sensation Sam Konstas

Andrew McDonald has accused India of trying to intimidate teenager Sam Konstas, with Australia’s coach claiming the ICC have set a benchmark by not punishing the tourists. McDonald revealed on Saturday evening he moved to check on Konstas’ welfare on Friday night, after his on-field spat with India captain Jasprit Bumrah in the fifth-and-deciding Test at the SCG. Of particular concern to McDonald was the fact several Indian players ran to celebrate in Konstas’ face after Bumrah dismissed Usman Khawaja on the last ball of day one. The incident came after Virat Kohli was fined 20 per cent of his match fee in Melbourne on Boxing Day, after making unnecessary contact with the opener between overs. Asked if he felt the needed to speak to Konstas about the on-field exchange with Bumrah, McDonald said he only did so to check on the 19-year-old. “My conversation to him was just around whether he was okay,” McDonald said. “Clearly the way that India celebrated that it was quite intimidating. It’s clearly within the rules and regulations of the game, as there have been no charges laid. “To have an opposition to swarm the non-striker like that, we have a duty of care to make sure he is okay and in a headspace to go out the next day and perform.” Asked whether he felt India had taken it too far by running towards Konstas, McDonald suggested a precedent had been set. “It’s clear that it’s acceptable because there was no fines or punishment,” he said. “I will leave that up to the ICC and Andy Pycroft as match referee and the umpires out there. “If they thought it was satisfactory, then I suppose that is the benchmark we’re playing towards.” Konstas will likely have a key role to play on Sunday, with Australia looking at a tricky fourth-innings chase with India 6-141 in their second innings and leading by 145. The day-one incident came after Khawaja had pulled away and made Bumrah wait to bowl as the clock ticked down towards stumps. India believed Australia were stalling, prompting Bumrah to raise his arms aloft before he and non-striker Konstas exchanged words. The pair then walked towards each other, before umpires intervened. Speaking after play on Friday, Australia’s seamer Scott Boland said he had found it “pretty funny” that a 19-year-old had “gotten under the whole Indian team’s skin”. But India seamer Prasidh Krishna insisted at stumps on Saturday that was not the case, despite him being one of the first players to get in Konstas’ face. “I don’t think so. Not yet. We enjoy the way that he plays the game and we would also like to play the game aggressively,” Prasidh said. “Like if we have somebody who comes out and says, ‘I can fight you,’ it’s as a team we want to tell them, ‘you can’t take us for granted, we are all here, the 11 of us versus you’. “If you can be as aggressive that’s fine.”