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 sceptical 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.