Courtesy: BCCI
On Saturday, December 28, Nitish Kumar Reddy scored his maiden Test hundred for India during the fourth Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Following the outstanding achievement from the 21-year-old in just his fourth Test match, the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), whom he represents in domestic cricket, awarded him with INR 25 Lakh cash prize, and the news was broken by the ACA President Kesineni Sivanath.
On day three of the fourth BGT Test match, Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was slated to bat at No. 8, arrived at the crease when India had lost their sixth wicket for 191 runs, following which Ravindra Jadeja also went back into the pavilion after putting together a 30-run stand for the seventh wicket with him. With the Indian cricket team staring at a potential of being asked to follow-on by Australia, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar had a valuable partnership of 127 runs for the eighth wicket.
Nitish Kumar Reddy is third youngest Indian to score a Test hundred in Australia
Shortly after the dismissal of Washington Sundar on 50 off 162, Nitish Kumar Reddy was nearly out of partners in the 90s before No. 11 Mohammed Siraj survived three balls from Pat Cummins. It allowed the right-handed batter to loft the ball from Scott Boland towards the long-on boundary in the next over, to bring up his maiden hundred, which has kept his team in the contest at the close of play on day three.
Following the match-defining hundred from Nitish Kumar Reddy, it was the President of Andhra Cricket Association, Kesineni Sivanath, who spoke to the media about awarding the cash prize to the young cricketer. He was quoted as saying, as per PTI, “It is a fortunate day and a happiest moment for the Andhra Cricket Association. We are very happy that a boy from Andhra has been picked for the Test format and international T20 format. As an honour, on behalf of the Andhra Cricket Association, Rs 25 lakh prize money is being given to Nitish Kumar Reddy.”
At the start of day four, Nitish Kumar Reddy will be looking to eat into the 116-run first innings deficit in the fourth BGT Test alongside Mohammed Siraj before India come out to bowl in the Australian second innings.
