Australian coach Andrew McDonald has rubbished the suggestion selectors should shy away from picking teenage phenom Sam Konstas in the Test squad.

The 19-year-old Sydney wunderkind is steaming towards a sensational call-up to the country’s most coveted team on the back of some strong Sheffield Shield form.

He blasted twin centuries against South Australia in the season opener a fortnight ago and will pad up for Australia A against India A in Mackay later this week.

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The tour match will essentially be a bat-off for the spot at the top of Australia’s Test order left vacant by the retirement of David Warner and the injury to Cameron Green.

Konstas is thought to be in contention alongside Cameron Bancroft, Nathan McSweeney, and Marcus Harris – all of whom are also playing in Mackay.

Former Aussie opener – now Victorian men’s coach – Chris Rogers last week urged selectors to snub Konstas given his age and relative inexperience.

But on Sunday the head coach hit back at that suggestion.

“Any time we’re picking a Test team, we’re picking the best team for here and now,” McDonald said on ABC’s Offsiders.

“If that does encompass a younger player, then we’ll head down that direction.

“Clearly Sam Konstas, on the back of his first Shield match, and the way he went about his work in the second innings at the MCG against Scott Boland has definitely made some noise.

“If they’re ready, they’re ready in our mind, and if Sam’s capable and we feel as though he’s capable to fill that spot, I don’t think the opponent should come into the equation.

“You’ve got to start against someone, and you shouldn’t be so-called holding back and protecting someone from a potential opponent.”

Rogers began his own Test career at age 30 and didn’t fully break into the team until he was 35 years old and had been plundering Shield runs for a decade.

Konstas would be taking the alternative route, which comes with inherent risks but could potentially kickstart a long and fruitful career in the baggy green.

Australia A will take on India A from Thursday.

The first Test begins in Perth on November 22.

Likely Australian team: Usman Khawaja, TBD, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, 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