Shocking comments referring to the tragic death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes have been directed at teenage sensation Sam Konstas in a series of embarrassing online posts made during the series against India.
Konstas became the talk of Test cricket after an impressive debut opening Australia’s batting line-up against India during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
With rock-solid confidence, the 19-year-old smiled as he played outrageous shots against India’s feared bowling attack on his way to an impressive 60 runs off just 65 balls.
But his bravery affected the Indian team, including legend Virat Kohli, who shouldered him between overs.
The intense incident, and the teenager’s confrontations with Jasprit Bumrah, led to an exchange of words between players before a torrent of hate was directed towards the teenager online, with several commenters referencing Hughes’ tragic death.
One X user even went so far as to say that they “need Konstas to meet Philip Hughes the same way.”
The cricket world ground to a halt after Hughes’ death at the age of 25 in 2014, days after he was hit on the neck by a bouncer while playing a Shield match in Sydney.
Several similar posts have been made on social media, but Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to publish them.
Shocking comments from users hoping teenage sensation Sam Konstas would ‘meet Phillip Hughes’ have sparked fury across the cricket world (pictured)
Numerous posts on social media referred to Konstas and Hughes, who tragically died after being hit in the neck by a bouncer in 2014.
The horrific messages sparked outrage online among Australian and Indian fans.
“Seeing fans wishing for a ‘Phillip Hughes’ on Sam Konstas is next level disgusting,” one user wrote.
‘What the hell is wrong with you? Absolutely vile.’
A second fan said the comments were “the lowest and completely and utterly out of line, they literally made me feel sick to my stomach.”
‘Fan club culture has really ruined our cricket. Most Indians do not represent those losers. This is so pathetic,” wrote a third.
“I am Indian and I am ashamed of his behavior,” said a fourth.
‘To mock the death of an innocent person is extremely vile. They do not represent the majority of Indian cricket fans.
Konstas became the talk of Test cricket after scoring a dazzling 60 runs while opening the batting for Australia on debut in Melbourne.
However, his confident personality led to him becoming the target of feisty visiting sledgers, including Jasprit Bumrah (pictured), after failing to replicate his Boxing Day magic when the action moved to the SCG.
Konstas could not replicate his magical first innings during the Sydney Test and became embroiled in a heated dispute with India captain Jasprit Bumrah on the first day of the decider.
It came after the Indian pacer appeared to become angry with opener Usman Khawaja over the time it took the Australian to prepare in the final game of the day, with Konstas lashing out at Bumrah for gesturing at Khawaja.
The experienced Australian opener would later fall in the final delivery of the day, with India’s players making a beeline for Konstas in scenes in which they were accused of trying to intimidate him.
However, the Australians would have the final say, beating the Indians by six wickets and lifting the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 3-1 series victory.
It is the first time the Australians have taken the trophy in a decade and marks the last major piece of hardware for the team, who currently hold the Ashes and World Test Championship trophies, as well as being the reigning World Cup champions.
The victory also guaranteed Australia’s chance to defend the World Test Championship against South Africa at Lord’s in London in June.