Australia vs India: Newcomer Nitish Kumar Reddy stars with maiden century on third day of fourth Test | Cricket News

Nitish Kumar Reddy starred as he led India’s fightback in opposition to Australia on day three of the fourth Check, scoring a maiden century and ending the day unbeaten on 105.

India (358-9) nonetheless trailed Australia (474) by 116 runs on the Melbourne Cricket Floor after Saturday’s play however staved off a worse deficit due to Reddy.

The 21-year-old is enjoying in solely his fourth Check, however, batting at No 8, he steadied India from a susceptible 221-7, compiling a 127-run partnership alongside Washington Sundar (50).

The pair fell two runs shy of equalling the file for an eighth-wicket stand for India versus Australia of 129 which was set by Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar on the Sydney Cricket Floor in January 2008.

Spin-bowling all-rounder Sundar supplied a tough probability off the again of his bat to second slip on 18, which was dropped by a diving Steve Smith as Mitchell Starc bowled the primary over with the second new ball.

With Reddy on 97, Sundar’s 162-ball knock lastly ended when he was caught at slip off the bowling of spinner Nathan Lyon (2-88) at 348-8. The affected person Sundar struck only one boundary.

Reddy performed a lofted drive to cowl to maneuver to 99 however misplaced Jasprit Bumrah for a duck, caught at first slip off the bowling of Pat Cummins (3-86), within the following over at 350-9.

Mohammed Siraj needed to survive three deliveries from Cummins, permitting Reddy to grab the second and full his century within the following over with an on-drive to the boundary, resulting in deafening roars from the 1000’s of India followers within the stands.

Reddy’s hundred got here off 171 deliveries and included 10 fours and one six. Solely 9 extra deliveries had been bowled earlier than play was delayed after which known as off as a result of dangerous mild and rain, with Reddy unbeaten on 105.

Resuming on Saturday on 164-5, India had wobbled to 244-7 at lunch, dropping the wickets of Rishabh Pant (28) and Ravindra Jadeja (17).

Australia’s hopes of shortly skittling India’s tail light, nevertheless, as 82 runs had been added with out loss within the post-lunch session. Cummins and Scott Boland (3-57) took three wickets every for Australia.

Australia’s first-innings whole of 474 was highlighted by Smith’s thirty fourth century. Smith’s 140 lifted the 35-year-old to equal-seventh most a whole lot in Check cricket.

The five-match sequence is stage at 1-1 after a draw at Brisbane. The fifth and remaining Check is scheduled to start out on January 3 at Sydney.