Nitish Kumar Reddy’s century was for the true believers

After a high-octane opening two days at the MCG, along comes a partnership to remind us that traditional Test match cricket is still effective.

How could you not shed a tear? How could you not let your emotions get the better of you? How could you not just lose yourself in the moment?

Test cricket, you bloody beauty. You can turn anyone into a romantic.

It had nothing to do with the match situation. It had little to do with how far behind India were. It had little to do with how far ahead Australia were. It didn’t even matter who the bowler was to be honest. It was all about one single run. It was all about one young man. It was all about him getting over the line. It was all about willing him on to his maiden Test ton.

It was a celebration of Test cricket. It was a celebration of sport. It was a celebration of the love of sport.

Nitish Kumar Reddy celebrates after reaching his maiden Test century at the MCG Picture: AFP

And the moment, Nitish Kumar Reddy punched the Scott Boland delivery over the bowler’s head, it felt like the whole of the MCG, sans the 11 Australian players in the middle, broke down in tears of joy. Nitish Kumar Reddy’s dad, who’d travelled all the way from India, was crying. Those around him were crying. Those around the media centre were crying. I was crying. How could you not?

It had been a terrific innings. In every way possible. The 21-year-old had looked like India’s most accomplished batter throughout the series, despite not having made a half-century before getting to the MCG. He’d looked at ease against Australia’s high-profile pace attack, comfortably playing the likes of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc off the front foot like he’d grown up doing so in these conditions. He’d used his feet from the moment he began facing Nathan Lyon and continued to keep the elite off-spinner in check.

Like he did yet again on Saturday. Reddy had walked out to bat with his team in strife. The score reading 6-191, and the visitors a long way off from Australia’s first innings total. In the company of another youngster, 24-year-old Washington Sundar, the right-hander from Visakhapatnam had brought India back into the contest. From the brink.

And now he stood at the non-striker’s end on the cusp of a maiden ton, praying and hoping that No.11 Mohammad Siraj would hold his end up, for three more deliveries. A majority of the MCG was praying and hoping with him. The roar that echoed around the ‘G the moment Siraj blocked the final delivery of the Pat Cummins over, which had seen the fall of Jasprit Bumrah’s wicket was as loud as any you would hear during the AFL season. Like the final siren had gone off just as someone had kicked a goal or as if Siraj had just saved the game for India.

He had of course done something vital though. He’d given Reddy a chance to make his way to a deserved milestone. And Siraj was as over the moon as everyone around the ‘G as Reddy took his helmet off and took the knee to celebrate what will be a Test century that will go into the annals of sporting moments at this iconic venue and remain there for generations.

But for all the emotion and drama around the way he got there in the end, Reddy’s knock till that point had been built on all the traditional values of Test match batting. As was his partnership with Washington.

Nitish Kumar Reddy hits a boundary to bring up his 100 Picture: Michael Klein

Two days ago, 19-year-old Sam Konstas had made us believe that the future of Test match cricket would be in fast forward. It would be all about audacious strokeplay and daredevil risk-taking. And we all got swayed by the prospect of Test cricket on steroids. About how the next generation of Test superstars, led by Konstas, would approach the oldest format of our sport with a devil-may-care attitude.

Like always though, Test cricket always has a trick up its sleeve. And only a couple of days later, Reddy and Washington, aged 21 and 24 respectively, had shown that maybe we might have jumped the gun in predicting the future.

For, as impressive as their shot-making was against both pace and spin, the best part about their record-breaking 127-run stand was their game awareness. Along with their willingness to graft and put in the hard yards. To soak in the pressure, and to transfer it when it was required. To pick the right bowlers to attack. To pick the right moments to defend. To understand and acknowledge the value of playing the long game. To play Test cricket the way it was originally designed to played.

Both future superstars ended up facing over 160 deliveries in their respective innings, with Reddy still unbeaten, and both ended up displaying all the virtues required to succeed at this most fascinatingly challenging of formats, regardless of what era they are playing it in.

Maybe the look and manner of Test cricket will not change as overwhelmingly as we might have imagined, even as recently as Boxing Day at the MCG. It’s safe to say that regardless of whether it does or not, the emotion and drama attached with it will never go away.

And that there will always be moments when we will shed a tear, let our emotions get the better of us and lose ourselves in the moment.

Just like we did at the MCG on a famous evening in December.