India's Nitish Kumar Reddy celebrates his fifty runs during play on the third day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.Photo: AP India's Nitish Kumar Reddy celebrates his fifty runs during play on the third day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.Photo: AP Even as India have struggled in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophylucky play168 or lp99, Nitish Kumar Reddy has continued to impress every single time he has batted.(Day 3 Blog | Full Coverage | More Cricket News)
Now, the top four teams have entered the semifinals and the last two teams will have to fight for the fifth spot on the table. India have won all of their five matches. Pakistan are second with two wins and two draws.
South Korea, meanwhile, are placed fourth in the standings with 6 points, with one win, three draws, and one loss. They were surpassed by China, who secured 2 wins and as many points. Korea’s season began with a 5-5 draw against Japan, followed by a 2-2 draw with Pakistan, their first victory with a 3-2 win over China, 3-1 loss at the hands of India and a 3-3 draw against Malaysia in their final pool match.
On Saturday, the third day of the fourth Test match between India and Australia, Reddy brought up his maiden century in the format. India were yet again in trouble when the 21-year-old arrived but the Andhra all-rounder showed tremendous composure and skill to help his team cross the follow-on target and then shrink Australia's lead.
Reddy who had been dismissed thrice in 40s and remained not out on 38 once in his five Test innings, finally broke the jinx with a lofted square drive of Mitchell Starc to get to his half-century. He celebrated the milestone in the style of Pushpa, the lead character of the blockbuster Telugu film of the same name.
The left-hander then batted with exemplary temperament to complete a memorable century in 171 balls. He became the third youngest Indian after Sachin Tendulkar and Rishabh Pant to score a century in Australia.
IND Vs AUS: MSK Prasad Says Nitish Reddy Has Proven His Worth After Test Call-UpReddy has been the find of the series for India. Ahead of the tour, Reddy was not even in the Test scheme. However, he had had a brilliant Indian Premier League season and also did well in his debut T20I series against Bangladesh at home.
The team management took the bold call of including the youngster in the squad for Australia tour ahead of an out of favour Shardul Thakur who had played a part in India's triumph Down Under in 2020-21.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and the captain for the first match Jasprit Bumrah handed Reddy a surprise debut in the first Test of the series in Perth and the 21-year-old has not looked back since then.
Many of Gambhir's decisions have raised eyebrows since he joined as India coach but Reddy ensured that his inclusion was not one of those calls.
He was the highest run getter for India in the first innings of the series opener in Perth. In the second innings, Reddy slammed 38 not out from just 27 balls to help India finish strongly. He also picked up his maiden Test wicket in the game when he bowled Mitchell Marsh in the second innings. India won the Test and while Reddy's contributions were small they were still crucial.
In the second match of the series, Reddy scored 42 in both the innings and was India's highest run scorer in the game. He also chipped in with the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne even as India lost.
While Reddy could only muster 16 runs in the only time he batted in the rain-marred third Test, the amount of time he spent in the middle was crucial. The all-rounder showed his defensive skills to bat 61 balls and play a big role in helping India avoid follow-on.
Despite batting at number eight, Reddy is challenging Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul for being India's top scorer on this tour.
game of thrones slotsWhile some of Gambhir's gambles have failed so far in his short coaching careerlucky play168 or lp99, the decision to try Reddy has been vindicated.
