Who would have thought even three weeks back that, at this stage of the five-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Nitish Kumar Reddy would sit third on the list of leading run-scorers? That he would be India’s second highest run-maker, ahead of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant?

Welcome to the world of the 21-year-old. Making the switch from relative anonymity to luminescent spotlight after his exploits for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, the Andhra lad is enjoying his tryst with Test cricket. Picked as an all-rounder, who can weigh in as a fourth seamer and contribute vital runs lower down the order, his medium-pace has been used sparingly, but he has held his own with the bat.