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Reddy or not, here they come: India's next generation of young superstars have arrived
Tom Morris • December 28th, 2024 8:25 pm
Get Reddy for India's next batch of superstars.
A generation which attacks to defend, regardless of game situation.
At the top of the order, Yashasvi Jaiswal is 23 and has scored the fifth most Test runs for an Indian in a calendar year.
If he makes 66 or more in the second innings, the left-hander will move to number two on this list.
Nitish Kumar Reddy is two years younger than Jaiswal, but equally as promising. That’s saying something.
On Saturday he became the first Indian since 1948 to make his maiden Test ton in Australia.
Not only was it his fourth Test, but he entered the series with a first-class average of just 23.
Keen IPL watchers may have predicted something like this a few months ago. Having begun the campaign in the middle order, Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins ushered him to number three.
He had several strong partnerships with Travis Head, averaging 33 with a strike-rate of 143 for the tournament.
While he was little known to Australian audiences, Cummins and Head would have been acutely aware of his talents.
Not even they could stop him on day three.
Think of what you were doing when you were 21? Making tons on the MCG is the stuff of sheer fantasy.
Only Sachin Tendulkar (twice) and Rishabh Pant have made centuries for India at a younger age on these shores.
And only six players had crafted tons at number eight in Australia before Reddy did so.
Of course, Reddy is a number eight by name and not nature. He strode to the crease at 6-191 and was there when stumps were pulled at 9-358.
He drove the innings forward in a manner which any of his more senior teammates would have been delighted with.
Increasingly, this team is defined by the next rather than the now. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are fading. The former is grumpy, the latter is lethargic. They are old news.
Reddy and co are hot to trot. They deserve the platform now. The baton has been handed over.
Twelve Indians have made tons from number eight in Test history - R Ashwin did it four times - but surely we won’t see this wiz kid batting lower than seven again.
Former Aussie paceman Damien Fleming believes he could bat as high as three, thanks to his technically perfect cover drive and rock solid defence.
All of this almost didn't happen. For a brief moment the game situation was secondary to Reddy’s maiden Test ton.
In a panic, the 23-year-old ran a two when he should have settled for one. It left him on 99, stranded at the non-striker's end, with Jasprit Bumrah on strike.
Bumrah fell, which left just Mohhamad Siraj to survive. He did so - if only just - allowing Reddy to realise a childhood dream and consign his father to floods of tears.
As much as Victorian crowds are parochial, they appreciate when a star is born.
On Saturday afternoon, with rain hovering and light fading, a superstar announced himself on the international stage.
Just as Sam Konstas' heroics on day one were unforgettable. The action late on day three was simply unmissable.
