Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar termed Nitish Kumar Reddy as the star of Indian cricket after the youngster scored his maiden Test hundred to rescue the side from a precarious situation in the ongoing fourth Test against Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground. The batting all-rounder returned unbeaten on 105 at stumps on Day 3 after stitching a crucial 127-run partnership with Washington Sundar for the eighth wicket to take India to 385/9 in reply to Australia’s 474. “This is the first Test hundred and he is going to score many more in the near future. I am expecting to see him among the runs in the future. He is a star of the Indian cricket,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
The youngest man in India’s squad plays a knock far beyond his years!”
In just his fourth Test for India, Nitish Kumar Reddy scored a maiden Test century, as called by @CorbinMiddlemas.
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— ABC SPORT (@abcsport) December 28, 2024
The former India captain added that the 21-year-old all-rounder has a bright future if he remains true to himself.
“However, he will have to remember the sacrifices made by his father and other members of the family. Nitish is here because of the Indian cricket and he will have to make sure that he doesn’t take Indian cricket for granted. If he stays true to himself, a successful career lies ahead of him,” he added.
Reddy’s resilient century was studded with 10 fours and a maximum as India successfully avoided the follow-on threat and kept Australia at bay throughout the day’s proceedings after losing Rishabh Pant (28) and Ravindra Jadeja (17) early on Saturday.
Former India head coach and all-rounder Ravi Shastri has called for Reddy to be promoted up the order after a series of consistent scores in the tour so far. Before the MCG Test, he had scored 41, 38 not out, 42, 42 and 16 across five innings of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
“I feel that the way he’s batted, this is the last time he will bat at 7. To get the balance of the side, you need him to go higher up the order, either 5 or 6 and then you have the opportunity of playing 5 bowlers to take the 20 wickets, and he’s given that kind of confidence to the selectors and the team management and the captain,” Shastri said during the tea break on Day 3.
“Reddy is fully capable of batting in the top 6. Then it changes the whole balance of the game,” he added. “You go to Sydney with him batting in the top 6, and you’re playing five bowlers,” he added.
Reddy will again be in the spotlight on Sunday as India still trail by 116 runs. With tailender Mohammed Siraj, on the other end, the youngster will look to reduce the deficit to hand Indian bowlers an edge in the match.
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