India’s Nitish Kumar Reddy, left, celebrates his fifty runs with his partner Mohammed Siraj during play on the third day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Sunil Gavaskar was angry. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Rishabh Pant had just missed a lap-scoop and hit on his midriff by Scott Boland when he tried again next ball. But the swirler off the edge was caught at the third man, who didn’t have to move an inch. Gavaskar was on ABC radio and even suggested Pant should be walking off to the Australian dressing room.
To be fair to Pant, right through the series whenever India have been in a crisis when he came to bat – and that’s nearly every time, he hasn’t gone for anything outlandish. He has actually tried defending and grinding out – against his character but couldn’t survive for any meaningful length of time.
He has a way of walking into a defensive prod – landing on his front heel, never a great sign of balance, and pushing his bat out only for the angle to take the edge. And he has been taken out in that fashion in a few innings now. The same thing happened on Day 3, too, a couple of times before he decided to try his own method. It didn’t work, and he had to trudge off, head down, at the same time Gavaskar was enraged on air.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” 😡
🏏 Safe to say Sunny wasn’t happy with Rishabh Pant after that shot.
Read more: https://t.co/bEUlbXRNpm
💻📝 Live blog: https://t.co/YOMQ9DL7gm
🟢 Listen live: https://t.co/VP2GGbfgge #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Fe2hdpAtVl— ABC SPORT (@abcsport) December 28, 2024
Pant’s jailbreak attempt might be understood but in general this Indian team hasn’t shown the patience and character to play the situation; instead, even when out of touch, they have tried to impose themselves. Virat Kohli has got out chasing a wide ball on one occasion, and being loose outside off in other times. Shubman Gill has been a touch loose at least couple of times, yielding the advantage in Adelaide’s first innings, and being part of a collapse in Brisbane. Yashasvi Jaiswal hasn’t been able to curb his impetuosity when new to the crease on a couple of occasions, so much so that Gavaskar had suggested KL Rahul should take strike just to guard against that urge. Rohit Sharma has looked like an imposter, playing from memory almost. Only Nitish Reddy and KL Rahul have really tried to play the game situation, and Ravindra Jadeja in the little chances he has got, and unsurprisingly have met success.
And so it continued on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test. Pant combusted and Jadeja, who was trying his best to drop anchor, couldn’t survive Nathan Lyon. The Australian offspinner might not be anywhere close to his pomp – that front knee doesn’t kick up as high as it used to do in the loading-up position, a sign of ageing perhaps, but the brain is still ticking strongly. A short while into the morning, Lyon’s plan to him was pretty clear: try to trap him lbw with the one that skids on with the arm, with the angle from round the stumps. On at least a couple of times Jadeja just about escaped as the balls that hit the pad were either sliding down leg side or he had just about managed to stab them away with the bat. But the danger was clear and present – and Lyon got one to sneak through quicker than the bat could come down and straighter than previous times. The score read 221 for 7, and India were now gasping to save the follow-on mark even.
Absolute cinema! 🎥😮💨
As #NitishKumarReddy brought up his maiden Test century in the #BoxingDayTest, relive the nail-biting drama that unfolded leading up to his milestone moment!#AUSvINDOnStar 👉 4th Test, Day 4, SUN, 29th DEC, 4:30 AM pic.twitter.com/N0YMj54MYU
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 28, 2024
Sundar-Reddy partnership
That’s when Washington Sundar joined Nitish Reddy. Sundar had talked on Friday evening about how it was “amazing” that the team management had trusted him to replace Shubman Gill. Now, he had to amaze with his skills and temperament and he proved more than adequate.
Sundar played the game-situation rather well. He was in strife initially as Pat Cummins peppered him with short balls with close-in catchers and also in the deep square-leg and fine-leg. He couldn’t hook or defend without risk. Unlike some batsmen, Sundar seems to find it difficult to sway away or duck; he chose to hop and stub the ball down, and managed to clear waiting palms nearby. But he hung on resolutely and slowly things eased up.
Reddy, of course, was playing at a different level, leading the battle to the Australians. Just when Sundar had faced his 161st delivery, 15 run-less balls after he had got to his 50, and the same number of deliveries as Reddy who was on 97 at that point, he got a lovely over-spun bouncing turner from Lyon that he couldn’t help but stab to Steve Smith at slip. India were 348 for 8 then and the focus shifted to whether Reddy could get the three runs for a very special hundred at the MCG.
He did. But even as all the emotional focus, understandably, has been on his hundred, it has to be said that India’s position in the Test is still not safe. India still trail by 116 runs and Australia will undoubtedly push for a declaration at some stage on the fourth evening before trying to bowl out India on a pitch that can throw up some variable bounce. Reddy might have fished out one of the most memorable hundreds by an Indian, but India are still not out of the water yet.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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