4th Test
Day-3 Afternoon Session Highlights:
Nitish Reddy and Washington Sundar has reduced the team India’s deficit
At The Tea of Day-3:
India scored 326/7 (1st Innings), where as Australia scored 474 (1st Innings).
So, finally India trail by 148 runs.
Nitish Reddy justified the faith the Indian management placed in him with a composed and resilient performance on the third afternoon of the MCG Test.
Coming in at 191/6, the allrounder formed a record eighth-wicket partnership of 105* runs with Washington Sundar, lifting India out of their batting struggles.
When Tea was called early due to bad light, India had reduced their deficit to 148.
Over the course of their 32.1-over alliance, both Nitish and Washington demonstrated that the conditions favored the batters.
Washington, in his 115-ball stay, contributed 40 runs, perfectly complementing Nitish, who brought up his maiden Test fifty and was now just 15 runs away from a century.
Nitish’s 85 came at a brisk rate of 71.43, but he took few risks in his innings.
He avoided the temptation of playing the ramp shot against short deliveries from Pat Cummins, a mode of dismissal that had plagued him in Adelaide.
Even when a short ball glanced off his glove, he showed composure, opting not to chase it.
Nitish exuded confidence throughout, playing controlled drives against the quicks and charging Nathan Lyon.
The only moment of audacity came when he attempted a reverse sweep off pacer Scott Boland, but this was one of the few risks in an otherwise measured knock.
The pair’s productive session followed a dramatic morning, where India had lost Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, both of whom are known for their ability to build partnerships.
Pant was dismissed while attempting to lap Scott Boland over the leg side, only to top-edge the ball to Lyon at third man.
Jadeja, who had been watchful, fell to a trick used against him by Lyon.
The off-spinner delivered a quicker ball at 88 km/h that trapped Jadeja leg-before after forcing him onto the backfoot.
From 221/7 in the 65th over, India’s hopes of avoiding a big first-innings deficit were revived, and the eighth-wicket stand forced Australia to take the second new ball for the first time in eight Tests.
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