'Dream come true and then...'- Nathan McSweeney opens up after getting snubbed from Australia's squad ahead of 4th Test against India

Young Australian opener Nathan McSweeney expressed his sadness after being left out ahead of the 4th Test of the  Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India on Boxing Day. The removal of McSweeney after only three Test matches generated different views from cricket fans and past players. Despite the setback, McSweeney promised to improve and battle his way back into the national squad.

Although a middle-order specialist in domestic cricket, the 25-year-old found it difficult to establish himself when given the difficult responsibility of opening the batting. McSweeney only scored 72 runs in six innings over his three games, which was the lowest performance in the first six innings by an Australian opener in fifty years. He faced some of the most deadly bowlers in India's lineup, especially Jasprit Bumrah's early genius, which made his problems even worse.

During an interview with 7 News, McSweeney stated that it was a tough pill to swallow on missing out on the squad for the Boxing Day Test but he is confident about his return to playing XI. "Yes, I mean devastated. I get the dream come true and then didn't quite work out the way I wanted it, but it's all part of it and yeah I'll get the head down and get back in the nets and work really hard and hopefully be ready to go for the next opportunity," Mcsweeney said.

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EXCLUSIVE: ‘Devastated. I get the dream come true and then didn't quite work out the way I wanted.’ South Australian skipper Nathan McSweeney has opened up to 7NEWS about his heartbreaking axing from the Australian Test squad. @7Cricket#7NEWSpic.twitter.com/JYagJV1Inj

— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) December 21, 2024

Australia made changes for the fourth test match

For the fourth Test match, Australia made changes in the squad due to McSweeney's lack of impact and senior opener Usman Khawaja's struggles, which included an average of just 12 runs and a top score of 21. Nevertheless, the selectors chose to support Khawaja's experience while removing the young debutant. Chief selector George Bailey explained the decision to replace McSweeney with attacking batsman Sam Konstas, saying it was intended to add a "point of difference" to the team.

Konstas has been in excellent form, with notable performances in the domestic circuit, including a century against India in a practice match in November. Due to Josh Hazlewood's fitness concerns, Jhye Richardson and Sean Abbott were called back to provide enough cover for the fast bowlers, and all-rounder Beau Webster was added as Mitchell Marsh's injury concern.