4th Test: Reddy and Sundar's Unbroken Partnership Propels India to 326/7

Melbourne, Dec 28 (NationPress) Poor visibility and light rain led to an early tea break on the third day of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. Before the interruption, a remarkable unbroken 105-run partnership between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar propelled India to 326/7 in 97 overs, leaving them 148 runs behind Australia.

It was an exceptional session for India, who amassed 82 runs in 24 overs without losing a wicket. Reddy rose to the occasion, scoring an impressive 85 not out, marking his first Test fifty.

Reddy is now just 15 runs shy of achieving his maiden Test century. He has received solid support from Sundar, who remains at 40 not out off 115 deliveries and has worked diligently to maintain his wicket. As the pitch became more favorable, Australia struggled to make significant inroads with the second new ball, with Reddy and Sundar ensuring India avoided the follow-on.

The second session commenced with Reddy and Sundar skillfully rotating the strike against the older ball until Australia opted for the second new ball. Reddy showcased his talent with powerful drives, achieving his first Test fifty through a lofted drive over cover point for four off Mitchell Starc, mimicking a popular scene from Telugu film actor Allu Arjun’s movie ‘Pushpa’.

Shortly thereafter, India crossed the critical mark of 275, which meant the follow-on was successfully avoided, eliciting cheers from fans in attendance. The run-scoring became so effortless with the new ball that Sundar even managed to score four runs by running between the wickets against Starc.

As India surpassed the 300 mark for the first time since the Chennai Test against Bangladesh, Reddy executed a flawless straight drive down the ground off Starc for a boundary, followed by a spectacular wristy shot smashing Lyon over extra cover for another four. Meanwhile, Sundar achieved his first boundary by driving a short and wide ball from Starc through cover.

Reddy scored consecutive boundaries off Mitchell Marsh, benefitting from a stroke of luck—Starc’s dive fell short of saving the ball, while Lyon slipped near the boundary fence, inadvertently making contact with the boundary cushion. With rain and bad light halting play, India enjoyed a fruitful session thanks to the partnership between Reddy and Sundar, which lasted 32.1 overs.

Brief Scores: Australia 474 in 122.4 overs (Steve Smith 140; Jasprit Bumrah 4-99) lead India 326/7 in 97 overs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 85 not out, Yashasvi Jaiswal 82; Scott Boland 3-49, Pat Cummins 2-86) by 148 runs