Reddy-made hundred at MCG as India fights back; Washington Sundar shines with bat too
MELBOURNE: Scott Boland was running at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It is his backyard. Every time he turns up there, the Victorian pacer has done something special.
On Saturday, he was going up against Nitish K Reddy. The two have already played against each other at the same venue. It was last month, India A versus Australia A.
This, however, was different. In the fourth Test between India and Australia with record crowd attendance for a Boxing Day Test at the MCG, the duel was on expected lines -- intense. So was the match and the series.
India had slowly rebuilt thanks to Washington Sundar and Reddy but with the lead ahead of them, and having already lost seven wickets, things could have gone south at any given moment.
Here was Boland running in with the second new ball that was only six overs old. And usually, this was where the Victorian thrives. He knew Reddy had been charging at him and brought up Alex Carey to the Indian.
For Australia, it was all about inducing that one mistake. Reddy and Washington were very much aware of it. Even if they weren’t, messages kept coming from the dressing room on what was required from them.
Reddy, meanwhile, was not going to let Boland set the tone. Anything that was in his zone he was going to take it. First came the straight drive down the ground and then followed the off-drive to Nathan Lyon. Reddy, having gone already past his fifty, was in no mood to be bogged down.
He had played at this venue before for India A, but that was a rather empty ground. Here, in front of 83,000 fans, Reddy showed that he belongs at this level. He left balls when needed but never missed a chance to score. To counter whatever little assistance the pacers were getting, he charged at them, used the crease and took calculated risks.
What it also did was allow Washington to be patient and play his natural game without thinking about the scoreboard. Washington was batting at a strike rate of less than 50 and Reddy close to 70.
That they are from South India and had played for the same Indian Premier League team — Sunrisers Hyderabad -- also helped.
All Washington had to do was keep reminding what was needed and what their goal was. By this time, Reddy had already gotten to his fifty and even celebrated with a gesture from the Telugu movie Pushpa. That is when the crowd found their voice.
Till then, India seemed to have lost their way. In particular, Rishabh Pant. The keeper-batter had pulled out before Boland bowled a delivery. He had looked comfortable in the middle and runs were coming. But then, out of the blue, he brought out the scoop and that didn’t work.
On the very next ball, he tried again and this time the ball took a leading edge and he was caught at deep third man. It was such a messy dismissal that even Sunil Gavaskar lost his cool on air.
Calling it stupid, Gavaskar said that Pant should probably go to the Australian dressing room than India’s. Jadeja fell shortly after and it left Reddy and Washington a mountain to climb — one that was 253 runs tall. Washington, who had expressed his confidence the previous day, backed it up with his performance and so did Reddy.
By the time tea was taken early due to rain, they looked set to bat through the day. However, the showers meant the pitch was sticky after and they decided to bat time. The duo was not in a hurry.
Over the next ten overs post-rain-break, only 13 runs would come. Washington got to his fifty and Reddy was closing in on his century. Just when it seemed like both were going to bat through the day, the off-spinning all-rounder got out.
With Jasprit Bumrah falling soon after, tension ensued. Can Reddy get to his ton? Or will he be left stranded? Guiding Mohammed Siraj, Reddy batted through and then eventually brought up his century — likely the first of many to come and in front of his family — with a shot down the ground.
He ran towards them, this time taking a leaf out of the Bahubali movie — and dedicated it to his dad, mom and sister who were in the stands.
Even as he tried to take fresh guard, bad light stopped play and stumps were drawn with India 358/9 and Reddy 105 not out.
While Washington would have loved to score more runs and remain unbeaten at the end of the day, he was pleased with how the day went for India.
"I still feel there's something for the bowlers in this wicket. So, if we can get them all out for around 100-150, I think, sun doesn't come out a lot, and it's been overcast for most of the game until now, I guess. So, I mean, if we can bowl the right areas if we can take our chances, I'm sure we should be able to get them for 150, and day five will be greatly exciting as well,” he said.
While it is something India would believe, the first focus will be on reducing the deficit of 116 as much as possible with Reddy still batting.
How much more he can do is something Sunday will tell, but what Reddy has shown on Saturday is that he is one for the future and he is here to stay.