Melbourne [Australia], December 29 (ANI): Following his side’s fine day with the ball on day four of the fourth Test against Australia, Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy expressed happiness at being able to play alongside star India batter Virat Kohli and the message from him following his maiden international ton.
Nitish’s dream run in the series continued as he scored 114 in 189 balls, with 11 fours and a six, taking India to 369 in reply to Australia’s first innings total of 474 runs. Later, top-notch spells from Jasprit Bumrah (4/56) and Mohammed Siraj (3/66) led to some quick wickets for India, but Marnus Labuschagne (70 in 139 balls, with three fours) and skipper Pat Cummins (41 in 90 balls, with four boundaries) took Australia to 228/9. The hosts led by 333 runs at the end of day’s play.
“It was such a grateful moment for me, I have been watching Virat Kohli since childhood and making him as my idol, and grown up, now finally I played with him, he scored a hundred when I was in non-strike in Perth, I felt so happy, and I scored a hundred when he appreciated me, he came to me and said that you really played well, you get the team back in the game, I felt so happy for that, I always dreamed about this moment, and finally when he talked with me that is the best moment for me,” said Nitish during the post-day presser.
Nitish is India’s highest-run-getter in the series and overall second-highest, with 293 runs in four matches and six innings at an average of 58.60, with a century to his name. He has also taken three wickets in the series.
Speaking about tackling pacer Scott Boland, a bowler who has an impressive control over his line and length and extracts wickets because of it, Nitish said on his tactic of stepping out of the crease, “I would say Boland is a more consistent bowler, and I just want to change his line and length so that it will be easy for me when he is bowling. I do not have to be on my crease, so I can move on a little bit forward and I can adjust to the bowler, that is what I tried and it has been working.”
Nitish, who broke into the team after a breakthrough Indian Premier League (IPL) season this year with 303 runs in 13 matches with two fifties and three wickets, said that at the start of the tour, he expected to play as a full-fledged all-rounder and admitted he still needs to work on his bowling.
“I am still not happy with the way I’m bowling, and I hope that I come back strong in bowling, and I want to fulfil that allrounder slot in the coming days. I can see my last three years, two years, how hard I have been working on my batting and bowling, obviously fitness is main for me as an allrounder, and I kept pushing myself,” he said.
After my first IPL season (last year), I realised what I have to improve on my batting, and when I got the off phase [time off], I have worked a lot on my batting and that is what working now. As I mentioned, it is not about the one month and two months, but I have done the work from the last two to three years to come here,” he concluded.
Coming to the match, Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. Half-centuries from Konstas (60 in 65 balls, with six fours and two sixes), Usman Khawaja (57 in 121 balls, with six fours), Marnus Labuschagne (72 in 145 balls, with seven fours) and 34th Test ton from Steve Smith (140 in 197 balls, with 13 fours and three sixes) took Australia to 474/10 in their first innings.
Bumrah (4/99) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/78) were the lead pacer and spinner for the team, while Akash Deep got two wickets and Washington Sundar got one scalp.
India lost two quick wickets and were reduced to 51/2, but a century stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal (82 in 118 balls, with 11 fours and a six) and Virat Kohli (36 in 86 balls, with four boundaries) stabilised the innings. However, Jaiswal’s run-out and Virat’s outside off-stump woes made India end day two on 164/5.
Then it was a 127-run stand between Washington Sundar (50 in 162 balls, with one four) and Nitish (114 in 189 balls, with 11 fours and a six) helped India reach 369. Scott Boland (3/57), skipper Pat Cummins (3/89) and Nathan Lyon (3/96) were the top bowlers for Aussies.
In their second innings, Australia was reduced to 91/6, but Labuschagne (70 in 139 balls, with three fours) and skipper Pat Cummins (41 in 90 balls, with four boundaries) took Australia to 228/9. (ANI)
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