New Delhi: Young Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy made history on Saturday, December 28, by scoring a century in the ongoing Boxing Day Test against Australia. The 21-year-old right-handed batsman came in to bat at No. 8 for the team captained by Rohit Sharma at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He faced 176 balls and remained not out at 105 runs. During his innings on the third day, he struck 10 boundaries and one six.
Reddy reached his first-ever Test century with a lofted shot on the 171st ball of his innings. After surpassing the 100-run milestone, he celebrated in a memorable manner, and the moment quickly went viral across the internet.
The all-rounder, who made his Test debut against Australia in Perth last month, shared his thoughts on the viral celebration in a video posted by the BCCI on their official social media platforms. He explained the significance behind his celebration and said, “After my 100, I was just planting my bat over there and keeping my helmet. So, the Indian flag is there, right? So, I’m just planting my Indian flag, and I’m just saluting my Indian flag. So, what’s the biggest motivation when representing Indians? So, I just want to make this moment memorable.”
Reddy, India’s top run-scorer in the current five-match Test series, discussed his 127-run stand for the 8th wicket with Washington Sundar, mentioning that both players were determined to put up a strong fight on Saturday.
“Till the time we are here, we will keep fighting. Even when I got hit by bouncers or something like that. I just keep saying that same thing: keep fighting, just keep fighting. That’s what keeps motivating me. That’s something that has come from Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir). So that kind of made things a lot easier for us. It was a lot of fun. I mean, I started watching the ball a lot better, and runs also started coming in quite easily,” he said.
“But when he (Sundar) got out, I was like, ‘No way.’ At that time I was on 99, I guess. I saw the scoreboard, and there were still 3 more balls, and Siraj is walking up. And I know what mentality Siraj carries, and he was like, ‘Yeah, I will do it.’ He was boosted up, and ‘Reddy, now it’s your time,'” he added.
The young player from Andhra, who gained attention for his outstanding performances in the 2024 IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad, shared that he always aimed to perform well in Australia to gain recognition, and he is pleased that his bat has spoken for him.
“I was so happy. I wanted to perform well in Australia so that everyone recognises me and what I am capable of. I let my bat talk, and I am just so thankful for the moment. After that moment (century), I saw my father. He’s crying like, you know, I always dreamed about making him proud,” he added.
