Nitish Kumar Reddy’s maiden century at the MCG gave India hope of avoiding defeat in the fourth Test against Australia. On Saturday, December 28, he became the first Indian batter to reach a century in Australia while batting at number eight. The teenage all-rounder reached his first international century with a boundary off far on off Scott Boland in the fourth Test’s last session on Day 3.
The historic MCG crowd of nearly 80,000 stood up to applause when Nitish removed his helmet. He dropped down on one knee and laid it on top of the handle in a salute to the sky. His father was present at the MCG when his 21-year-old son. He became the third youngest Indian to make a maiden Test century in Australia. The proud father shouted and cheered along with thousands of Indian supporters.
It has been an innings of class, tenacity, quality, and drive. When Nitish was first selected for the Australia tour and then given his debut in the series opener in Perth. Some questioned his selection, but the Andhra Pradesh batter proved the critics wrong with his steady performances in the lower order. Nitish has the lowest percentage of false shots among all batsmen in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
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India’s No. 8 Finds Glory
The Andhra Pradesh batter delivered another priceless innings with confidence, patience, and a lot of style. He surpassed Anil Kumble’s record for the highest score (87) by an Indian batting at No.8 or below in Australia. Nitish Kumar Reddy became the third youngest Test century scorer in Australia. After only Sachin Tendulkar and Rishabh Pant. Credit should also be given to Mohammed Siraj.
The pacer managed to play out Pat Cummin’s three balls in the over while Nitish was at the non-striker’s end on 99. Nitish and Sundar led India from 221/7 to 358/9 when rain halted play on Day 3. The stumps have been called. The 129-run partnership between Nitish and Sundar is now India’s joint-highest for the eighth wicket in Australia. Alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh’s efforts in 2008.
