Nitish Kumar Reddy completed his maiden international hundred against Australia on day three of the fourth Test at the MCG. Reddy continues to impress everyone with his game awareness, playing style, grit and the art of not chasing every ball in only his fourth game in the whites, putting India afloat in the Boxing Day Test.

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Reddy and Washington Sundar completed a 127-run stand for the eighth wicket, which saw India avoiding follow-on and cutting the deficit to under 150. The left-right combination made most of the batting conditions on day three at the MCG after India lost two wickets in the first session on day three.

Also read | BGT, MCG Test: Reddy, Sundar lead India's fightback on day three

Walking into bat after Rishabh Pant’s bizarre dismissal on 28 for which he received bashing from commentators, including veteran Sunil Gavaskar, Reddy took his time and cautiously approached his innings, indicating his high sense of the game awareness. The newcomer, who played a few handy knocks in this ongoing series, looked in his elements and, with Sundar in the middle, scripted India’s comeback in this Test.

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The right-hander was on the top of his game, playing like he had been around forever. His calm and steady head, adding up the ability to absorb pressure like none other, kept him ahead of the Aussies on a gloomy day three at the ‘G’. Despite rain interruption before tea, Reddy looked certain to frustrate the hosts even more by piling up runs.  

Soon after he completed his first Test fifty, Reddy kept the run-rate ticking, and despite losing Sundar (on 50) close to his first Test ton, he held his calm before taking on Scott Boland over the mid-on for a four to realise his dream.

Father in tears in stand

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Nitish Reddy’s father, sitting in the stands watching his son play perhaps his best international knock in a brief career thus far, shed tears of joy as his son became the latest Indian batter to smash a Boxing Day hundred against Australia. 

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The whole dressing room and the crowd erupted in joy seeing Reddy saving India’s day in this crucial game of the series. 

The bad light stopped play, and stumps were taken on day three, with India's scorecard reading 358 for nine, trailing behind by 116 runs.

(With inputs from agencies)