Revealed: How trolls used the tragedy of Phillip Hughes’s death to sledge Sam Konstas in sickening attacks
Shocking comments about the tragic death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes have been directed at teenage sensation Sam Konstas in a series of shameful online posts made during the series against India.
Konstas became the talk of Test cricket after a stunning debut in opening the Australian batting line-up against India in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
With rock-solid confidence, the 19-year-old smiled as he played crazy 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 of the Indian team, including legend Virat Kohli, who attacked him on the shoulder between overs.
The spicy incident – and the teenager’s confrontations with Jasprit Bumrah – led to an altercation between the players before an outpouring of hate was expressed towards the teenager online, with several commentators referencing Hughes’ tragic death.
One user on
The cricket world came to a standstill following Hughes’ death at the age of 25 in 2014, days after he was hit in the neck by a bouncer while playing a Shield match in Sydney.
A number of similar messages have been posted on social media, but Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to publish them.
Shocking comments from users hoping teen sensation Sam Konstas would ‘meet Phillip Hughes’ have sparked outrage in the cricket world (pictured)
Numerous social media posts referenced Konstas and Hughes, who tragically died after being hit in the neck by a bouncer in 2014
The terrible messages sparked outrage online from both Australian and Indian fans.
“Seeing fans wishing Sam Konstas a ‘Phillip Hughes’ is disgusting,” one user wrote.
‘What’s actually wrong with you people? Absolutely mean.”
A second fan said the comments were “the lowest low and completely and utterly out of line and literally made me feel sick.”
“The fan club culture has really ruined our cricket. A majority of Indians do not represent these losers. This is all pathetic,” a third wrote.
“I’m Indian and I’m ashamed of their behavior,” said a fourth.
“Mocking the death of an innocent person is extremely despicable. They do not represent the majority of Indian cricket fans.”
Konstas became the talk of the town in Test cricket after scoring a whopping 60 runs while opening Australia’s batting on debut in Melbourne
However, his confident personality saw him become the target of spirited sledding by the visitors – including Jasprit Bumrah (pictured) – after he failed to replicate his Boxing Day magic as the action moved to the SCG
Konstas could not repeat his magical first innings in the Sydney Test and was involved in a heated argument with Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah on the first day of the decider.
It came after the Indian pacer appeared to rage at opener Usman Khawaja over the long time the Australian took to prepare in the final over of the day, with Konstas lashing out at Bumrah for gesturing towards Khawaja.
The veteran Aussie opener would then fall on the final episode of the day, with India’s players heading towards Konstas in scenes where they were accused of intimidating him.
However, the Australians would get the final say, beating the Indians by six wickets and lifting the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 3-1 series win.
It is the first time in ten years that the Aussies have claimed the trophy and marks the the last piece of significant hardware for the team, who currently hold the Ashes and World Test Championship trophies, as well as being the 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.