Shocking comments referring to the tragic death of Aussie cricketer Phillip Hughes have been directed at teenage sensation Sam Konstas in a series of disgraceful online posts made during the series against India.
Konstas became the talk of Test cricket after a stunning debut opening Australia‘s batting lineup against India during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
With rock-solid confidence, the 19-year-old smiled while playing outrageous shots against India’s feared bowling attack on his way to an impressive 60 runs off just 65 balls.
But his bravado got under the skin the Indian team, including legend Virat Kohli, who shoulder charged him between overs.
The feisty incident – and the teen’s run-ins with Jasprit Bumrah – led to an exchange of words between the players before a torrent of hate was levelled toward the teenager online, with several commentators referencing Hughes’ tragic death.
One user on X went as far to say they ‘need Konstas to meet Philip Hughes in the exact way’.
The cricketing world came to a halt after Hughes’ death at the age of 25 in 2014, days after being struck in the neck by a bouncer while playing a Shield match in Sydney.
A number of similar posts have been made on social media, but Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to publish them.
Shocking comments from users hoping for teenage sensation Sam Konstas to ‘meet Phillip Hughes’ have sparked fury across the cricketing world (pictured)
Numerous posts across social media referred to Konstas and Hughes, who tragically died after being in the neck by a bouncer in 2014
The horrible messages sparked outrage online from both Australian and Indian fans.
‘Seeing fans wishing a “Phillip Hughes” on Sam Konstas is next level disgusting,’ one user wrote.
‘What the actual f**k is wrong with you people? Absolutely vile.’
A second fan said the comments were the ‘lowest of lows and completely and utterly out of line, literally made me sick to my stomach’.
‘The fanclub culture has really ruined our cricket. A majority of the Indians don’t represent those losers. This is all kinds of pathetic,’ a third wrote.
‘I am Indian and I am ashamed of their behaviour,’ a fourth said.
‘Mocking the death of an innocent person is extremely vile. They don’t represent majority of the Indian cricket fans.’
Konstas became the talk of Test cricket after scoring a dazzling 60 runs while opening Australia’s batting on debut in Melbourne
However, his confident personality led to him becoming the target of feisty sledging from the visitors – including Jasprit Bumrah (pictured) – after failing to replicate his Boxing Day magic when the action moved to the SCG
Konstas couldn’t replicate his magical first innings during the Sydney Test and became embroiled in a heated spat with India captain Jasprit Bumrah on the first day of the deciding match.
It came after the Indian paceman appeared to fume at opener Usman Khawaja due to how long it took the Australian to prepare himself in the last over of play for the day, with Konstas lashing out at Bumrah for gesticulating at Khawaja.
The experienced Aussie opener would subsequently fall on the final delivery of the day, and India’s players made a beeline for Konstas in scenes that saw them accused of trying to intimidate him.
The Australians would get the final say, however, beating the Indians by six wickets and hoisting the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 3-1 series win.
It’s the first time the Aussies have claimed the trophy in a decade and marks the final piece of major hardware for the team, which currently holds the Ashes and World Test Championship trophies, as well as being reigning World Cup champions.
The win also guaranteed Australia’s chance to defend the World Test Championship against South Africa at Lord’s in London in June.
