India vs Australia 4Test Day 3 Highlights: Nitish Reddy’s Heroics

India vs Australia Day 3: Nitish Reddy’s Historic Century Powers India to 358/9

Key Highlights

• Nitish Reddy becomes the youngest centurion in Australia after Sachin Tendulkar and Rishabh Pant. He had made his mark at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) by making his maiden test century.
• On the third day of the test, India ends with a score of 358/9 and trails by 116 runs against an Australia score in their first inning of 474.
• Reddy’s 8 sixes in one series already is a record for India in Australia.

Content Description

Reddy batted with remarkable grit and class in India’s fourth test encounter against Australia at MCG. Reddy batted with solid dominance at position eight and displayed his ability in what was India’s great comeback game.

After the end of play on Saturday, India was trailing by 116 runs as they could only manage 358-9 against Australia, who had scored 474 runs in their first inning in the test match. In this context, it. is amazing that Reddy’s unblemished innings of 105 not out from 176 balls, which included 10 fours and 1 six, enthralled fans, and comparisons with cricketing greats were certainly not misplaced as he becomes the first Indian batter at number 8 position to score a century against Australia.

He, along with Washington Sundar (scored 50 off 162 balls), put up a 127-run partnership after India found themselves in dire circumstances at 221-7. The 127-run partnership between them nearly fell two runs short of equaling the eighth wicket record held by Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar’s 2008 eighth wicket partnership. Sadly, Sundar was dismissed, which provided Australia with some relief, but still Reddy’s innings continued to shine.

While the first session of the play was dependent on weather conditions, rain and bad light were unpredictable factors to consider. For India, their lower batting order faced a  breakdown as Cummins, Lyon and Scott Boland dismissed them within a few overs.

Reddy’s record-breaking Achievements

• First Indian no. 8 batter to reach the three-digit mark in history at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
• Third youngest Indian to make a century in Australia at the age of 21 years and 216 days only.
• Registered the most number of sixes in a single Australian series by an Indian with a number of eight, alongside Michael Vaughan (2003-03) and Chris Gayle (2009-10) with the same mark; both also hit eight sixes in a single series in Australia during 2002-03 and 2009-10, respectively.

Fan Frenzy and Social Media Buzz

Fans have taken to social media to praise Nitish Reddy, claiming that he has the potential to become a massive sports star. A celebratory post was also shared on X by the BCCI , and the hashtag FireNahiWildfireHai started trending. The way in which he managed to remain calm during pressure and redeem himself against one of the strongest bowling attacks is incomparable.

Looking Ahead

India avoided the follow-on, and now with only a single wicket left, the focus will shift to the Indians controlling Australia’s second innings and making rounds early. The first hundred of Nitish in a test match will forever be in the history books of cricket.

Read also

1. India vs Australia 4th Test Day 2: IND 164/5 vs AUS at Stumps in Melbourne
2. “India vs Australia 4th Test Day 1: Key Highlights, Important Performance and Bumrah’s emphatic Fightback”
3. Ravichandran Ashwin Retires from International Test Cricket
4. India vs Australia 3rd Test Match Highlights: Day 4: India 252/9
5. India vs Australia 3rd Test Day 2: Travis Head, Steve Smith in charge as Australia reaches 405/7
6. Australia Levels Border-Gavaskar Series: India’s Batting Woes Continue in Adelaide Test