"Want To Make Them...": Nitish Reddy's Big Message To Critics After Historic Century

Nitish Reddy wanted to confute his critics and the naysayers who doubted his ability to excel in Test format, and the gritty century at the iconic MCG was his way of conveying that he belongs to highest level of cricket. A few former players, including a former chairman of selectors, were skceptical about Reddy's elevation as a Test player but with 293 runs in six innings and a batting average of 58-plus, he has answered them back in a befitting manner. Reddy's 114 formed the cornerstone of India's first innings score of 369 and attracted a lot of attention on the young batter.

Did you ever feel that you will be highest scorer in this team? "Some people doubted me, like a youngster who played IPL, can't perform in such a big series. I know a lot of people did talk like that," Reddy said, sharing his frustration after the end of fourth day's play.

"I just want to make them feel wrong about what they have said about me and that's what I am doing, I want people to know that I am here to give my 100 percent for Indian team," the 21-year-old said and his plain speaking was as aggressive as his purposeful batting.

Asked how he looks at the past one month during which his life changed, he was quick to reply: "I guess for you guys, it is like one or two months. For me, it's like, I can see my my past two to three years. How hard I've been working on my batting and bowling." A lot of people don't know that Reddy had hired side-arm throwdown experts before the start of 2024 IPL and practised against them with speed of deliveries cranking up to 145 clicks from around 18 yards.

"After the first IPL season, I realised what I have to improve my batting and I came up with a plan. When I got the off-season, I worked a lot on my batting