Nitish Kumar Reddy’s Maiden Century and Washington Sundar’s Grit Rescue India in Historic Partnership

At 221-7, India was in danger of a follow-on, but a fantastic 127-run partnership between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar gave them hope in the Boxing Day Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia on Saturday.

Nitish, batting at No. 8, scored his first international century at a critical time. He got solid support from No. 9 batsman Washington Sundar, who added a steady half-century. In the final session of the day, Nitish reached his century in style, hitting a boundary to move from 99 to 100.

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Nitish remained unbeaten on 105 runs from 176 balls, with a strike rate of 59.66. His innings included 10 fours and a six. Washington Sundar scored 50 off 162 balls. According to the broadcasters, this was the first time in Test cricket’s 147-year history that both the No. 8 and No. 9 batsmen faced over 150 balls in a single innings.

Nitish also achieved a special milestone, becoming the third-youngest Indian to score his first Test century in Australia. The only two younger players to do so are Sachin Tendulkar, who scored his first century at 18 years and 256 days in 1992, and Rishabh Pant, who achieved it at 21 years and 92 days in 2019. Nitish reached his century at 21 years and 216 days.

The partnership between Nitish and Washington was crucial, as their resilience helped India recover from a tough situation. Both players showed determination, staying at the crease and building a strong comeback against the Australian bowlers.