Nitish Kumar Reddy catches the eye of Australian great as a standout Test match cricketer: ‘He came in with wickets…’

Despite facing criticism, he silenced his critics with a courageous innings under pressure. India was struggling at 73-6 when he walked out to bat, with Australia poised to wrap up their innings below 100. Partnering with Rishabh Pant, the 21-year-old played some impressive shots, including reverse sweeps against Nathan Lyon, to keep the scoreboard ticking and help India reach a total of 150.

Meanwhile, legendary Australia wicketkeeper batter Adam Gilchrist reserved high praise for the Indian youngster and said he did look like a Test player in the middle.

“I though he looked every inch a Test match cricketer out there. He came in with wickets tumbling and had to try and forge a partnership with the ever-dangerous Rishabh Pant. He settled into his innings well. He was positive against Nathan Lyon, who has an outstanding Test record at Perth stadium,” Gilchrist said on Cricbuzz.

With just 23 first-class games under his belt, Nitish's inclusion in the BGT series turned out to be a surprise for many but Nitish proved them wrong.

"So, the momentum shifted somewhat when they were together. That's an exciting start for the young man," the 53-year-old on to add.

Gilchrist was also impressed with Rishabh Pant for his positive batting approach despite the wickets kept tumbling from the other end.

"While Rishabh was there, anything was possible by way of a total. Wickets falling around him always seem to draw a positive response from him. I love watching him play. We're so excited to see him, given the history and everything - the extraordinary accident that he recovered from," Gilchrist, who batted in a similar mode to the Indian keeper, stated.