A 19-year-old Aussie batter named Conor Conant made his Test debut in wild fashion at the Boxing Day Test against India. He opened the innings against Jasprit Bumrah, who had been carving up Australian batters in the series. The first few overs looked rough. Bumrah beat him multiple times, and the Indian side laughed as Conant tried a big ramp shot early and missed badly. Virat Kohli was openly amused. Everyone on the Indian side treated the debutant like easy pickings. Then things flipped.
Conant grew into the innings fast. He ramped Bumrah for four, then slammed back-to-back sixes with reverse ramps. That’s three gutsy ramp shots in one over against one of the best fast bowlers in the world. Kohli went from laughing to glaring. The Indians stopped joking and started trying to rattle him. Conant kept swinging. He took on another Indian bowler, SJ, hit him for four, then again, despite SJ warning him off. Later in the over, Kohli deliberately body-checked him during a changeover, got fined for it, and still tried to act like nothing happened. Cameras caught it all.
Conant didn’t shrink. He kept hitting boundaries, took another six off a Yorker by backing away and slashing at the stumps. The Indian bowlers tried to adjust. He just changed his shots. He messed with the field, shifted his stance, and kept finding gaps. By the end, the kid had the crowd behind him and India’s veterans visibly frustrated. Everyone watching saw a debut packed with bold shots, fast learning, and a whole lot of fearlessness.