On Day 3 of the 4th Test between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the Men in Blue staged a remarkable fightback after being down at 191/6. All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy walked in at a challenging moment and displayed composure while playing the ball on its merit. Washington Sundar offered invaluable support from the other end, and together they kept India's hopes alive stitching a 127-run partnership, frustrating for the Aussies.?
Nitish Reddy brought up his maiden Test fifty and kept going strong. Nathan Lyon finally broke the partnership once Sundar struck his 50, and then Jasprit Bumrah fell for a duck, leaving the all-rounder stranded on 99, watching from the other end.?
Mohammed Siraj managed to survive, and Reddy reached his maiden Test ton with a boundary down the ground. With this, Nitish Reddy (21 years, 216 days) became the 3rd youngest ¨C behind Sachin Tendulkar (18 years, 256 days) and Rishabh Pant (21 years, 92 days) ¨C to score a century for India in Australia.?
Born on May 26, 2003, in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, Nitish Kumar Reddy is the son of Mutyala Reddy. Together, they've faced numerous struggles and sacrifices, with Nitish's father even leaving his job to fully support his son's cricket career. He took him to training and gave all the facilities he could despite financial conditions.
"My father gave up his job for me, and there's been so much sacrifice behind my story. I once saw him crying because of the financial hardships we were going through, and I told myself, 'This can't be how it is.' That moment made me serious about my goals. I gave him my first jersey, and the happiness on his face was priceless," Reddy shared with BCCI.TV.?
During the game, when it was stumps, Nitish's father spoke to Adam Gilchrist in an interviews and said: "For our family, it's a special day and we cannot forget this day in our life. He has been performing well since the age group of 14-15 and now in international cricket, it's a very special feeling. (On what were his emotions when Nitish was on 99 with one one wicket remaining) I was very tensed. Only the last wicket was remaining. Thankfully Siraj managed to survive."?
Nitish plays for Andhra in domestic cricket and represents Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He made his T20I debut on October 6, 2024, and his Test debut for India on November 22, 2024.?
It was a gloomy day, and towards the end of the innings, players were sent off due to bad light. The umpires checked the light meter, and it was deemed insufficient for play. Shortly after, rain began, and play was called off for the day. To make up for the lost overs, there will be a half-hour early start tomorrow.?
At stumps, India had scored 358 runs and lost 9 wickets in 116 overs. The Men in Blue trail by 116 runs, a deficit that once seemed insurmountable. The weather forecast looks more promising for Day 4, and with all three results still possible, the match remains wide open.?
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