Ricky Ponting feels Australia should pick Sam Konstas for two Tests against Sri Lanka

Australia will commence their two-match Test series against Sri Lanka with the first game to be played at the Galle International Cricket Stadium, Galle, from January 29.

Without the services of regular skipper Pat Cummins, star batter Steven Smith will act as the captain for the Australians in the series, with Travis Head as his deputy. Playing in subcontinent, the Aussies are expected to play more spinners, as they have also added names like Matthew Kuhnemann and Toddy Murphy in their squad. Meanwhile, the batting mantle is confusing with question arising on young opener Sam Konstas' place in the side.

However, former Australia captain and legendary cricketer Ricky Ponting has opined that Smith & Co. might be tempted to add Konstas in the Playing XI for the first Test. Ponting was impressed with the batter's debut against India in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and is hoping Konstas to provide a lot of entertainment in the upcoming series as well.

"I think they will pick Konstas and I think they should pick Konstas. He is the one they have identified, he has hit the ground running here in his first innings as well. He provided a lot of entertainment and a lot of buzz around that whole series. I think they need to play him, to be honest. It is a hard place to play and a hard place to win,” Ponting told the Sydney Morning Herald. 

Sri Lanka will be a hard place to bat: Ponting

Furthermore, the veteran cricketer also noted that Australian batters will find it hard to get runs under their belt on Sri Lankan pitches, because of the subcontinent conditions. The lack of experience among the players in the squad is something that Ponting reckons would make it difficult for them to score.

“It will be a hard place to bat for all of our guys, but especially some of the younger guys who have not experienced those conditions much in the past. But I think they should pick Konstas, it will be a great learning experience for him. I would be picking him if I was a selector," he added.

For the unversed, Australia have already qualified for the World Test Championship final, where they will face South Africa at the Lord's in London starting June 11. As a result, the upcoming red-ball series would be confident-building for them as they look to retain the title, which they won against India in 2023 in the second edition.