Sam Konstas has endeared himself to Aussie cricket fans in one of the most memorable Test debuts on Boxing day and an even better reaction to his MCG heroics. The 19-year-old scored a stunning half century against India on day one and made a mockery of the world’s best red-ball bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, after constantly reverse ramping the India spearhead to the boundary in the opening session.

The NSW teen sensation effectively hit Bumrah and his fellow strike bowler Mohammed Siraj out of the attack with a number of audacious scoop shots to the boundary, before Ravi Jadeja eventually removed him LBW for 60 runs (off 65 balls). The extraordinary knock saw Konstas given a rousing reception from a packed MCG crowd and helped the Aussies get to lunch in a strong position of 1-112. His opening partner Usman Khawaja also made a half century in the second session to ram home the advantage.

Konstas brushed off a run-in with Indian superstar Virat Kohli, who tried to unsettle the teen by making a beeline towards the 19-year-old and bumping into him at the end of the 10th over. It sparked an exchange of words between the players before Khawaja came in to break it up, but the incident did not faze Konstas at all, with the opener hitting three boundaries off Bumrah’s next over – all from reverse ramps.

The absolute audacity from Konstas to treat the world’s best bowler with such disdain saw the 19-year-old become an instant cult hero to the Australian cricket public. And his interview during the drinks break after notching a fairytale half century on debut said everything about the confidence he’s got in his own game at the moment.

“It’s quite surreal [I’m] just trying to play with freedom and just back myself. Hopefully I can get a few more,” the Test rookie said while on 55 runs. Konstas then revealed his eye-opening ramp shots were not pre-meditated but rather a plan he identified to blunt the effectiveness of Bumrah, who he seemed determined to have another crack at.

“I looked to keep targeting him”, Konstas told Fox Cricket before adding: “Hopefully he might come back on, but we’ll see what happens.” It was incredible theatre from Konstas, who didn’t seem to have a care in the world about Bumrah’s record and the fact he went into the fourth Test with a series-leading 21 wickets to his name.

Sam Konstas hits most Test runs off one Jasprit Bumrah spell

More astonishing was the fact that Konstas’ 34 runs off Bumrah represented the most any Test batter has scored off a single spell of bowling from the world’s best quick. The remarkable innings left a number of Aussie cricket greats in awe of the teenager, with Justin Langer and Mark Waugh among those to sing his praises.

“Bold, bold, bold,” Australia’s former coach and Test opener Langer said on 7’s coverage. “With all the freedom of youth he has come in, when most would freeze in this circumstance, he’s got a plan and he’s sticking with it. He said he was going to be bold, backing it up is another thing.

“To play those ramps, you watch how fast his feet are. He’s a dancer, or like a little boxer dancing around the ring against the heavyweight champion of the world. So he’s got fast feet, it’s very unorthodox fast feet, but I love his boldness. He’s come out and he’s backing it up. And that’s brilliant.”

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Konstas’ reverse ramps were reminiscent of the type of shots that have become typical with England’s Bazball approach of aggressive run-scoring, with Langer and Waugh both making the comparison. And the Aussie greats hailed the 19-year-old for having the courage to come out and do that in front of a packed MCG on Boxing Day in his Test debut.

“We’ve talked all about Bazball. Give me a break. I’m going to call Sam Ball. If he does it for 12 months, we’ve got Sam Ball,” Langer said. Waugh added on Fox Cricket’s coverage: “The staring at the bowler… he looks up for the challenge, he doesn’t look at all shy or out of place, he’s looking the bowler in the eye and he’s got that little bit of arrogance about him and confidence, which you need at this level when you’re so young.

“We were talking about it pre-game if he would play that shot and I said he might once he gets a few runs on the board, but not in the third over of your first Test match. He’s just sending a signal that I’m not intimidated and I’m going to play my way, I don’t care if I’m playing a Test match against the best bowler in the world, I’m going to do what I’m going to do.”