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Nitish Kumar Reddy is thankful of Mohammed Siraj for surviving three balls that allowed him to get to his 100.
Nitish Kumar Reddy. (AP Photo)
Nitish Kumar Reddy on Sunday joked about how the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) ‘went crazy’ at Mohammed Siraj’s defensive solidity, cheering him louder than they did when the all-rounder reached his maiden international century.
Reddy was at 99 when Siraj joined him at the crease on Saturday. The Indian number 11 needed to survive three deliveries from Australian captain Pat Cummins to give Reddy a chance to get to his ton. He was beaten on the first ball, ducked under the second and defended the third like a top-order batter, right under his head.
“The crowd went crazy after Mohammed Siraj’s last-ball defense. It was not that loud even at my century, I guess,” Reddy joked to the press after the fourth day’s play. “But I really love the way Siraj came and played three balls. I should thank him for my hundred.”
Reddy’s 114 (189) kept India afloat in the game taking them to 369/10 in reply to Australia’s 474/10. He also became the visitors’ highest run-scorer in the series.
“I have been working on my batting for the last 2-3 years,” he said. “Fitness is important for me as an all-rounder, and I kept pushing. After my first IPL season, I realized what improvement I needed in my batting. During the off-season, I worked really hard. That’s what’s working out now.”
Australia were at 91/6 at one stage in the third innings but managed to reach 228/9 by Stumps, taking a healthy lead of 333 runs. Even if they declare before the first ball on Monday, it’s a target that has never been chased at the MCG. But Reddy hasn’t lost hope yet and doesn’t want to India to take any pressure.
“In the second innings, it’s a fresh innings, and I can’t start with a hundred,” the 21-year-old said. “I have to start afresh and use the same approach I had in the first innings. We will play according to what the team plans for the second innings. It’s important to have one or two good partnerships to give us a chance of victory. We don’t need to put more pressure on ourselves by saying the pitch is doing this or that,” he added.
- Location :
Melbourne, Australia
