Melbourne Melbourne. India discovered a new cricket star in 21-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy on the third day of the fourth Test against Australia on Saturday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The youngster, who came to bat at number 8, scored an unbeaten 100 in front of a packed stadium and became the third youngest Indian to score a century in Australia after Sachin Tendulkar and Rishabh Pant. Scoring a Test century against Australia on home soil is always special, but Reddy's century would be one of the best centuries scored by any visiting batsman in Australia, given the tough conditions and the quality of the Australian attack.
When Reddy came to bat at number 8, India looked to be losing on the score of 221/7, but this young player displayed steadfast patience and amazing skill and scored a century and kept India in the match. The 21-year-old player performed strongly in defense and was decisive and fearless in attack. He did not appear troubled by the shot-pitched balls against which most subcontinental batsmen struggle in Australia, and was comfortable against the spin of Nathan Lyon. A huge emotional dimension to Reddy's brilliant innings was the presence of his father in the stands.
His lips moved in prayer when Reddy hit nervous 90s, his hand went to his heart every time Reddy failed to middle the ball, and when Reddy hit a four to bring up his 100, he Spread his arms wide in joy – In that brief moment, the teary-eyed father must have remembered all the sacrifices made by the family to help Nitish fulfill his big cricket dream. Due to lack of money, Reddy's family had to make many sacrifices to see him develop as a cricketer – so much so that when his company transferred him to another state his father was forced to focus on his cricket. Had to leave my job. “It's a very special moment for us. There was a lot of tension,” was all Reddy's father could say when Adam Gilchrist asked for his reaction to his son's lavish celebration.
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