India captain Rohit Sharma was absolutely furious with young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy for a wrong pitch during Australia's second innings on Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
During the 67th over of the innings, Nathan Lyon drove a length ball from Ravindra Jadeja through the covers. Nitish Kumar Reddy at deep point was slow to the ball as Lyon saw the opportunity to run two.
As Reddy realized that the batsmen were heading for the second run, he tried hard to get to the ball quickly. However, he could not collect the ball well and the batsmen completed an easy two to add to India's frustration.
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Watch: Rohit Sharma furious at Nitish Kumar Reddy for wrong pitch
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Nitish Kumar Reddy's careless nature left Rohit Sharma absolutely furious and he called him out for not being quick enough to allow Lyon and Boland to come back for two runs.
A shocked Rohit even asked Reddy to apply his mind as Lyon was always looking for a second course given that he is a better batsman. Even bowler Ravindra Jadeja was not impressed by Reddy's effort.
A few balls later, Nitish Kumar Reddy miscued the pitch at mid-on to allow an extra run. Overall, Reddy is a good player and gives his best on the field. However, it was not his best day on the pitch.
Memorable match for Nitish Kumar Reddy
Despite all these disadvantages, Nitish Kumar Reddy had a great time with the bat. The young all-rounder played a spectacular knock with the bat and almost saved India from a huge problem single-handedly.
Reddy came into bat at No. 8 when India were in huge trouble at 191-6 with a few more runs needed to avoid the follow-on. But he formed some excellent partnerships with India's lower order and tail to take his team to a respectable total.
His partnership with all-rounder Washington Sundar in particular was a game-changer. Both the youngsters stitched a 127-run partnership for the eighth wicket, which put India in a much safer position.
Nitish Kumar Reddy played the situation well and also removed the bad balls. A typically aggressive batsman, he showed excellent temperament to play a world-class Australian bowling attack under immense pressure.
Great partnership with Washington Sundar
His partnership with Washington Sundar proved to be perfect for India. While Reddy was aggressive, Sundar played perfect support with his solid defence.
While Sundar was dismissed for a patient 50, Nitish Kumar Reddy scored his maiden Test hundred to the delight of the dressing room and the Indian contingent in the crowd.
The 21-year-old all-rounder was dismissed for 114 off 189 balls which included 11 fours and 1 six. His knock propelled India to a much safer first-innings total, though, as Australia took another first-innings lead of 105 runs.