For a brief moment, a look of despair crossed Nitish Kumar Reddy’s face. On the final ball of the 113th over, the right-hander had run two to reach 99 but lost the strike. As he was halfway through the second run, he touched his helmet, as if regretting the lapse in awareness. It was one of the few mistakes he made that day, perhaps the only one.
This meant that Jasprit Bumrah would face Pat Cummins to start the next over. Reddy’s worst fears came true when Bumrah was dismissed on the third ball. The disappointed look on Reddy’s face followed immediately after, as he remained on 99, with last man Mohammed Siraj coming in to bat.
As Siraj walked to the crease, the crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground erupted in boos, with many praying that Reddy wouldn’t be stranded on 99. Siraj survived the first few balls, defending the final delivery of the over to loud cheers. Reddy then sealed his century with a boundary off the third ball of the next over from Scott Boland. His father, Mutalya, was in tears, and so were many others in the stands. It was a moment of pure cricketing joy.
Australia had come into the day expecting India to fight but also hoping that maybe by tea they would be having another go at the Indian bowlers. But at close of play on Day 3, India had made their way to a gritty 358/9 – still trailing by 116 runs.
Two youngsters, the 21-year-old Reddy (105* — 176 balls, 10×4, 1×6) and the 25-year-old Washington Sundar (50 off 162 balls), had defied the odds with a 127-run partnership that helped the visitors claw back into the match.
“One thing that especially with Rohit bhai and Gauti bhai (coach Gambhir) and all the support staff keep telling us is to fight no matter what,” said Washington at close of play. “And I think that’s something that has been instilled in all of us, no matter what situation we are in we’ll just fight. And playing for India, especially in a ground like MCG, against Australia, Boxing Day Test, we’ll do no matter what it takes for us to put the team in a good position. I think we were definitely good today.”
Being told to do something and doing it are two very different things. But the contrasting ways in which Reddy and Washington made their partnership click told us that they were both born for the fight.
There was a constant stream of messages from the dugout – hang in there, bat as long as possible. Even though the top order had not managed to do much, this clarity was vital for the duo. They knew exactly what was expected of them, and with that goal Reddy chose to play his shots while Washington settled into a defensive mould.
“I think playing against Australia and in Australia, you’re always going to be put under challenge, no matter what,” said Washington. “Challenges can be different, can be in different ways. But it’s just that you’ve got to be ready to fight through those challenging situations. And I was just thinking about the things that I need to be doing, so that I would see off some important spells. We didn’t lose any wicket especially in those spells, and once we got through those spells then runs started to come a lot easier as well. The entire day was a mixture of different phases.”
Through these different phases, the composure of both these youngsters stood out. They weren’t fazed by anything the Aussies threw at them. The wicket, as Boland later revealed, had something for the bowlers all day. Not as much as the Aussies would have wanted but enough to keep the batters on the edge.
But Reddy, for one, found the perfect balance between attack and defence. His approach meant that the scoreboard kept ticking over. Just occupying the crease was never going to be enough and he played his natural game without ever trying anything silly. This was maturity way beyond his years.
“One thing for sure is mentally he is very, very strong,” said Washington. “I’ve known him for quite a few years and the way he went about his business today was amazing. He made sure he picked those phases in the game where he thought he’d get a few boundaries in and he made sure he was also aware that we needed to see through a few balls as well when the situation got a little challenging for us.
“An unbelievable 100. This 100 will be talked about and remembered for a very, very long time. Boxing Day 100, I think he’ll forever remember it as well.”
Truer words could not have been spoken for such was the impact of the innings. Washington had the best seat in the house but it didn’t matter where you were watching this from. This was a special knock and it would have given India a big boost.
The job isn’t done though. With two more days left, the rest of the team must ensure that all his good work isn’t put to waste with a performance that matches the intensity, grit and magic that Reddy showed on a day when few expected it.