4th Test: Nitish Kumar Reddy Shines with Spectacular Maiden Test Century

Melbourne, Dec 28 (NationPress) Nitish Kumar Reddy emerged as the standout performer for India on the third day of the Boxing Day Test by scoring a remarkable maiden Test century, leading the home side's charge in front of 83,073 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

In only his fourth Test appearance, Reddy displayed exceptional strokeplay and solid defensive techniques as he partnered with fellow all-rounder Washington Sundar, who contributed a measured fifty. Together, they forged a crucial 127-run partnership for the eighth wicket, bringing India's total to 358/9 in 116 overs while trailing Australia by 116 runs.

With his father, Mutyala, praying fervently, along with other family members watching from the stands, Reddy achieved an emotional century in just 171 deliveries with a lofted on-drive off Scott Boland.

Upon reaching the milestone, Reddy knelt down to express his gratitude and looked skyward, fully absorbing the significance of scoring his first Test century at such an iconic location in front of his family. Notably, he also became the first Indian to score a Test century in Australia while batting at number eight or below.

Just nine balls after his century, poor light and subsequent drizzle forced both teams off the field, with Reddy raising his bat to acknowledge the applause from his teammates and the crowd at the MCG.

The final session was delayed due to rain, leading to an early tea break, but once play resumed, Reddy and Sundar exhibited remarkable discipline against the tight Australian bowling. Sundar advanced to score his fourth half-century in 146 balls, while Reddy swept Nathan Lyon for additional runs, frustrating the Australian team.

Lyon eventually ended the resilient partnership by inducing an edge off Sundar's bat to first slip. After Reddy dramatically took two runs, Pat Cummins claimed his third wicket by getting Jasprit Bumrah to nick to first slip.

After Mohammed Siraj survived three balls to allow Reddy a shot at his century, the all-rounder reached his maiden ton in the following over, leading to emotional scenes for both him and his family in the stands.

Reddy also became just the second Indian to score his maiden Test century at the MCG, following Vinoo Mankad in 1948. India will be looking for Reddy and Siraj to add as many runs as possible on day four, following a strong fightback on day three.

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