‘You need him to go higher up the order’: Ravi Shastri bats for Nitish Reddy to be promoted

“I feel that the way he’s batted, this is the last time he will bat at 7. To get the balance of the side, you need him to go higher up the order, either 5 or 6 and then you have the opportunity of playing 5 bowlers to take the 20 wickets, and he’s given that kind of confidence to the selectors and the team management and the captain,” Shastri said on Star Sports.

“Reddy is fully capable of batting in the top 6. Then it changes the whole balance of the game. You go to Sydney with him batting in the top 6, and you’re playing five bowlers,” he added.

Reddy’s combative spirit and the invaluable 127-run stand he shared with Washington Sundar (50 off 162 balls) proved to be the turning point for the hosts.

Reddy’s innings was termed as one of greatest Test knocks by the legendary Sunil Gavaskar given the situation as India were in a precarious position after Rishabh Pant’s dismissal courtesy a rash shot had left India tottering at 191 for six.

The young Andhra batter could have been stranded on 99 when Jasprit Bumrah got dismissed, leaving Reddy with last-man in Mohammed Siraj, who walked in to another round of boos and faced three deliveries from home skipper Pat Cummins.

Siraj survived the Cummins onslaught and a picture-perfect straight drive off Scott Boland in the next over helped Reddy score his maiden century as the Indian dressing room gave him a standing ovation.

Nitish is still unbeaten at 105 along with Mohammed Siraj as India closed out Day 3 with 358/9, still trailing by 119 runs.

(With agency inputs)