MELBOURNE — Nitish
Kumar Reddy emerged as the hero for India on day three of the Boxing Day Test
by hitting a stunning maiden Test century to lead the hosts’ charge in front of
83, 073 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.
Playing in just his fourth Test match, Reddy was astute in
his strokeplay – both on front and back foot, while being solid in defence,
temperament, application and composure as he joined forces with fellow
all-rounder Washington Sundar, who hit a patient fifty and became the perfect
second foil.
The duo came together when India were 221/7 in the first
session and stitched a decisive 127-run partnership for the eighth wicket. The
pitch flattening out also helped the duo keep Australia at bay as India ended
day three at 358/9 in 116 overs and trail by 116 runs.
With his father Mutyala, having a constant prayer towards
God, uncle and other family members watching eagerly from the front seats in
the stands, Reddy brought up an emotional century in 171 deliveries through a
lofted on-drive off Scott Boland.
As soon as the hundred was confirmed, Reddy dropped down to
his knees and raised his arm upwards to look up to the heavens after placing
his helmet on the handle of his bat (a reference to the Baahubali movie), before
soaking in the moment of hitting his first Test century in front of his family,
with his father in tears and thanking God with folded hands towards the skies
at an iconic venue.
Reddy also became the first Indian batter to smash a Test
century in Australia after coming out to bat at number eight or lower. Nine
balls after Reddy got his century, bad light and later drizzle forced both
teams to go off the field, with the right-handed batter holding his bat aloft
and soaking in all the appreciation from his teammates and spectators at the
MCG.
Resuming from 164/5, a measured Rishabh Pant collected
boundaries off Pat Cummins and Boland, while surviving a caught behind appeal,
as replays showed the ball brushing his elbow, and two mix-ups with Jadeja
almost ending up in a run-out.
But in the 56th over, Pant began to unleash some aggression
– he tried going for the scoop shot off Boland, but copped a blow into his body
and fell down. On the very next ball, Pant went across to go for the scoop shot
again, but got a thick top-edge edge, and was caught at third man for 28.
Reddy got going with a drive and slice fetching him
boundaries, but Lyon was troubling Jadeja with loopy deliveries. On the fifth
ball of the 65th over, Lyon fired in a skiddy delivery and hit Jadeja's back
pad in front of off-stump and trap him plumb lbw.
Jadeja tried to overturn the decision, but ball-tracking
showed the delivery would hit the stumps, as he walked back for 17. Lyon
persisted with his off-stump line, but Reddy danced down the pitch to smack the
off-spinner over his head for a lovely six, before taking a four off Travis
Head in the same fashion.
Cummins peppered Reddy with some hostile short balls, but
the impressive young all-rounder survived it with gusto, though Sundar looked
uncomfortable against the Australian skipper, as the hosts’ got the first
session in their favour.
Post lunch, Reddy and Sundar rotated the strike consistently
against the old ball, before Australia immediately took the second new ball.
Reddy, who impressed with his punchy drives and ability to keep the scoreboard
moving, reached his fifty by unfurling a lofted drive over cover point for four
off Mitchell Starc and recreating a popular scene of film actor Allu Arjun from
Telugu movie ‘Pushpa’ as his half-century celebration.
Shortly after, India reached the magic number of 275, which
meant the follow-on was averted, leading to cheers by fans in the stadium. Such
was the ease of run-scoring with the second new ball, along with the pitch
flattening, that Sundar even got four runs while running between the wickets
against Starc.
After India went past 300, the first instance of this
happening after the Chennai Test against Bangladesh, Reddy struck a
picture-perfect straight drive down the ground off the latter for a boundary,
before using his wrists gloriously to smash Lyon over extra cover for another
four. From the other end, Sundar got his first boundary by whacking a short and
wide ball from Starc on the backfoot through cover.
Reddy got back-to-back boundaries off Mitchell Marsh, with
some slice of luck in his way – Starc’s dive fell short of saving the ball,
while Lyon slipped near the fence and right foot got in touch with boundary
cushion, before rain and bad light forced players to take tea break early.
The final session’s play began late due to rain, but once
proceedings resumed, Reddy and Sundar maintained their discipline and composure
in the face of tight Australian bowling. Sundar marched forward to hit his
fourth half-century in 146 balls, as he and Reddy, who swept Lyon for four
more, frustrated Australia.
Lyon finally broke the stubborn stand by getting a ball to
bounce and take the outside edge of Sundar's bat to first slip. After Nitish
took a dramatic two runs, Cummins took his third wicket by having Jasprit
Bumrah nick to first slip.
Post Mohammed Siraj surviving three balls to give Reddy a
chance to score his century, the all-rounder reached his maiden ton in the next
over, leading to emotional scenes for him and his family in the stands.
Reddy also became only the second Indian to make his maiden
Test century at the MCG, after Vinoo Mankad did so in 1948. India will be
hoping Reddy and Siraj get as many runs as possible on day four, after day
three saw the visitors stage a superb rearguard act with controlled, disciplined
and patient batting.
Brief scores: Australia 474 in 122.4 overs (Steve Smith 140;
Jasprit Bumrah 4-99) lead India 358/9 in 116 overs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 105 not
out, Yashasvi Jaiswal 82; Scott Boland 3-57, Pat Cummins 3-86) by 116 runs.
