Nitish Reddy Hits Maiden Test Century, Leads India's Fightback In IND vs AUS Boxing Day Test

Nitish Reddy Century: Nitish Kumar Reddy became the first number eight player for India to score a century against Australia in their own backyard.

Nitish Reddy Century: Nitish Ready brought up his maiden Test century on Day 3 of the India vs Australia Boxing Day Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on December 28 (Saturday). Coming in when India were at 191-6, Nitish Kumar Reddy brought up his first Test ton in 171 balls. With the hundred, Reddy also became the highest run-scorer for India in the ongoing IND vs AUS Test series, with 284 runs to his name.

Only two players have scored centuries batting at No. 8 or lower at a younger age than Nitish Reddy: Abul Hasan (20 years, 108 days) and Ajay Ratra (20 years, 150 days). KL Rahul achieved this feat at 22 years and 265 days in Sydney 2015. At just 21 years and 216 days, Nitish Kumar Reddy became the third-youngest Indian to score a century in Australia, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar and Rishabh Pant.

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Youngest at the time of maiden Test century for India in Australia

18 years 256 days: Sachin Tendulkar Sydney 1992
21 years 92 days:  Rishabh Pant Sydney 2019
21 years 216 days:  Nitish Reddy Melbourne 2024
22 years 46 days: Dattu Phadkar Adelaide 1948

Here's how Nitish Reddy got to his century:

Nitish Reddy's Dramatic Ton Guides India Through Tough Patch

Nitish Reddy brought up his maiden Test century in dramatic fashion, loft-driving a Scott Boland delivery over mid-on for a boundary. At the time, Reddy was on 99 not out, having just witnessed the departure of Jasprit Bumrah on duck, with Mohammed Siraj as the last man in. To add to the drama, the light was also quickly fading, and all eyes were on the umpires. However, after a few tense moments, the young all-rounder eventually reached the milestone.

With India in a tough spot after losing six wickets, Nitish Kumar Reddy teamed up with Washington Sundar to reduce Australia’s lead to just 116 runs. Their vital 127-run partnership helped India survive the entire day on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test, as the visitors finished the day at 358-9, still trailing by 116 runs.