Nitish Kumar Reddy went through a few anxious moments in the nervous 90s, but more on the non-striker’s end, before he scored the boundary that brought up a much-deserved maiden Test and international hundred for the 21-year-old all-rounder, who has been the find of this Australian tour for India.
On the third day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, Reddy first celebrated his fifty in ‘Pushpa’ style, and then converted it into a well-deserved three-figure mark off 171 balls, but not before high-tension drama.
At 348 for 7, with Nitish on 97, and his partnership with Washington Sundar reaching 127, it seemed only time before he scored the three remaining runs to complete a famous hundred. But Nathan Lyon removed Sundar (50), after which Nitish denied taking singles to retain the strike.
But when India lost Bumrah (0) to go nine down for 350, Reddy still needed one run. Nervously watching No. Mohammed Siraj bat, he applauded each of the three deliveries that Siraj survived against Pat Cummins to end the over.
Reddy ended his anxiety and nervousness on the third ball of the next over bowled by Scott Boland, which he hit for a boundary straight over the bowler’s head to bring up his landmark hundred. It included 10 fours and 1 six.
Reddy has undoubtedly been the find of this Australia tour for India and the best batter on show so far, having accumulated 284 runs so far at an average of 71.0 to be the top-scorer for the visitors and only behind Travis Head’s 409 runs in the overall list.
The moment became even more special for the young man as his father was in the stands to watch his son bail India out of trouble with a century that Sunil Gavaskar hailed as “one of the greatest for India in Test cricket”.
Soon after, bad light stopped play, with India 358 for 9 in reply to Australia’s first innings total of 474.
The five-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy series is currently level at 1-1.