Boxing Day Test: Nitish Reddy’s Century Steers India as Rain Halts Play on Day Three

The third day of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground concluded with India’s first innings score at 358/9. Nitish Kumar Reddy played a pivotal role, rescuing the team with an unbeaten century (105*). His efforts, combined with a crucial 127-run partnership with bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar (50), helped India recover from a precarious position.

India began the day at their overnight score of 164/5. Early dismissals of Rishabh Pant (28) and Ravindra Jadeja handed the advantage to Australia, reducing the visitors to 221/7. Nitish Reddy then joined forces with Sundar to stabilize the innings, ensuring India avoided the follow-on threat and pushed towards a competitive total.

Nitish Reddy’s knock, marked by resilience and grit, also marked his maiden Test century. His efforts were complemented by Sundar’s steady half-century before the latter fell to Australian spinner Nathan Lyon. Rain interrupted play late in the day, prompting umpires to call off the match for the day as conditions failed to improve.

At stumps, Nitish Reddy remained unbeaten on 105 alongside Mohammad Siraj (2*). India trails Australia by 116 runs, with the hosts having posted a first-innings total of 474.

In Australia’s bowling lineup, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland claimed three wickets each, while Nathan Lyon took two scalps. The match now hinges on India’s ability to bridge the deficit and Australia’s efforts to maintain their edge in the crucial fourth day.