India has a new batting hero after 21-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy showed the poise of a veteran to score his maiden century, leading his team’s comeback against Australia on day three of the fourth test.
At stumps on Saturday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, India (358-9) still trailed Australia (474) by 116 runs on the first innings, but it could have been much worse.
Reddy, playing in just his fourth test and batting at No. 8, rescued India from a shaky 221-7, sharing a 127-run partnership with Washington Sundar (50).
The pair fell two runs shy of equaling the record for an eighth-wicket partnership for India versus Australia of 129 which was set by Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2008.
Spin-bowling allrounder Sundar offered a difficult chance off the back of his bat to second slip on 18, which was dropped by a diving Steve Smith as Mitchell Starc bowled the first over with the second new ball.
But chances were few for Australia’s bowlers. Reddy was unbeaten on 85 at tea, with the score on 326-7.
With Reddy on 97, Sundar’s 162-ball knock finally ended when he was caught at slip off the bowling of spinner Nathan Lyon (2-88) at 348-8. The patient Sundar struck just one boundary.
Reddy played a lofted drive to cover to move to 99 but lost Jasprit Bumrah for a duck, caught at first slip off the bowling for Pat Cummins (3-86), in the following over at 350-9.
Australia maintains the advantage over India on the 3rd day of the 4th cricket test
The tension was building as Mohammed Siraj survived three deliveries from Cummins, allowing Reddy to seize the moment and make the century in the following over with an on-drive to the boundary, leading to deafening roars from the thousands of India fans in the stands, including his father.
Reddy’s hundred came off 171 deliveries and included 10 fours and one six. Only nine more deliveries were bowled before play was delayed and then called off due to bad light and rain, with Reddy unbeaten on 105.
Resuming Saturday on 164-5, India had wobbled to 244-7 at lunch, losing the wickets of Rishabh Pant (28) and Ravindra Jadeja (17).
Australia’s hopes of quickly skittling India’s tail faded, however, as 82 runs were added without loss in the post-lunch session. Cummins and Scott Boland (3-57) took three wickets each for Australia.
Australia’s first-innings total of 474 was highlighted by Steve Smith’s 34th century. Smith’s 140 lifted the 35-year-old to equal-seventh most hundreds in test cricket.
The five-match series is level at 1-1 after a rainy draw at Brisbane, The fifth and final test is scheduled to start on January 3 at Sydney.