BGT: Social media erupts in joy at Nitish Reddy’s maiden Test hundred; check reactions

Nitish Kumar Reddy is the new hero of Indian cricket. The rookie all-rounder smashed his maiden international hundred on day three of the ongoing Boxing Day Test against Australia at the MCG, pulling India out of trouble after early blows. Reddy’s maiden ton saw the fans, dressing room, broadcasters and social media bursting into joy, celebrating his success.

Reddy comes across as a typical old-school player with a temperament worth a glance. Outside of his stance and steady and calm head that helped him taste early success in only his fourth Test Down Under, Reddy’s composure drives his game despite coming in lower down the order.

On day three, Reddy walked in at 191 for six, at a time when India’s aim was to avoid the follow-on.

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He took hold of the situation and, alongside Washington Sundar, kept the run rate ticking. The pair made most of the batting conditions at the MCG, scoring runs off the bad balls and leaving the good ones, impressing the former players sitting in the commentary box.

Both hit respective fifties, with Reddy going one step further to complete his maiden Test hundred, but that didn’t come smoothly.

Batting in the 90s, Reddy lost Sundar (50) and Jasprit Bumrah (0) at the other end, besides needing Mohammed Siraj to play just three balls to avoid missing out on a milestone, which he did.

Facing Boland, Reddy took three balls before whacking one over the mid-on to cross the three-digit mark, much to everyone’s ecstasy.

Soon, social media was flooded with congratulatory messages for the newcomer, with cricket celebrities calling him the next big thing.

Check reactions -

Constantly amazed by these young Indian players, born in T20 times, but still…oh so desperate, for Test match success. Jaiswal, Gill, Washy & now, this new revelation Nitish Kumar Reddy! 👏👏👏🙇🙇

That’s a test century of high quality and technical skill from 21 yr old Nitish Kumar Reddy. Left the ball expertly, & attacked when needed. Another deeply moving story of parental sacrifice in Indian cricket.

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar you beauty! This is the fight we all Indian fans want to see - it’s time for the next generation of Indian cricket to take over - bring it on Aussies - you can heckle us but don’t you dare abuse our greats and the games greats because if…

Meanwhile, stumps were taken early on day three due to bad light, with India's scorecard reading 358 for nine, trailing behind by 116 runs.