"Redefine my game": Konstas reflects on whirlwind Australian start

After bursting onto the scene 19 months ago, Australia's Sam Konstas is quietly going about his business to get back to the top once more.

Konstas came to the fore originally as an 18-year-old, charging the best fast bowler in the world, Jasprit Bumrah, on Boxing Day 2024, putting together a quickfire 60 in front of nearly 90,000 spectators.

Simply put, you couldn't have announced yourself to the cricket world in a bigger way.

Since then, it's been a struggle for the young gun, featuring in five overall Tests before being dropped after a tough West Indies series last winter where seemingly none of the batters could really hit it off the square.

Looking back at his whirlwind start to the international game, Konstas can barely believe how his debut began, touching on how he coped with going from a relative unknown to a household name within an hour at the crease.

"It was a crazy experience. Looking back at it, it's a bit like, 'What was I doing?', to be honest. But I was lucky enough to put a few away," Konstas told SEN 1170 Breakfast.

"(With the media scrutiny) I was lucky enough to have good support around me, so I think that was the biggest learning that I had, and just trusting my inner circle.

"Especially going through a tough period when I wasn't going as well.

"Then for me, it's just become the best version of myself, training really hard, getting back to the drawing board, trying to redefine my game and build other skills as well.

"I wouldn't change a thing, to be honest. I'm very grateful for those experiences."

Sent back to Shield cricket for the recent 2025/26 summer, Konstas proved he was still one of the best prospects in the country, scoring 660 runs at 33.00, the fifth most in the competition and most for NSW.

While those numbers on paper are certainly solid, particularly in a bowler-friendly competition, it could have been so much more for the now 20-year-old as he scored between 27 and 44 in his last eight innings.

With that in mind, Konstas' focus in 2026/27 is turning those starts into big scores. If that happens, there's no doubt he'll quickly enter the frame for Test selection again.

"Obviously it's good to get a start, but I feel like this year I've got to start converting those to big scores," Konstas said.

"It's just trying to be totally present, to be honest, with what I've been working on, and very deliberate with the way I train my attention to detail.

"It's all about just trying to stay focused for longer periods of time."

Pre-season is now well and truly underway for Konstas and his NSW teammates, and the young opener expects the team's fitness to go to another level under new coach Brad Haddin.

"It's been tough," Konstas admitted.

"We've had some tough swims at Bronte Beach with the sharks and some tough runs.

"We've been really emphasising our fitness and trying to stand by our goals as a team as well.

"We've been lucky enough to have past players from the New South Wales team come in and share their stories. We had Mark Taylor last week and a few others, so just being really connected as a group has been the emphasis.

"It's going to be exciting."

Konstas and NSW begin their 2026/27 red ball season with a Sheffield Shield clash against Tasmania at Cricket Central on October 8.