It was a proper Test innings, it was of the highest class, and given the circumstances it came in, it was one of the best innings by an Indian batsman in recent memory, applauds Prem Panicker.
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Morning session
Every other Rishabh Pant dismissal will cue discussions about 'recklessness' -- the one here at the MCG in the first hour of play is no exception.
'The dismissal was infuriating,' Mark Nicholas said on live commentary; Sunil Gavaskar elaborated on the 'no need to play such shots' theme.
With India needing 110 to avoid the follow-on I doubt Pat Cummins would have enforced anyway (why tire the bowling unit with back to back innings, and give India the benefit of good batting conditions?), Ravindra Jadeja opted for caution, leaving everything he could, while Pant opted to remind the bowlers, at least occasionally, that he was no deer in their headlights.
Pant began the day with a waltz down the wicket to smack Cummins through mid on and played a controlled pull off Boland. He was also lucky to see two thick edges fly through the vacant third slip region; both partners also tried, and failed, to run the other out.
All of that was prelude to the 56th over, the tenth of the morning. To the second ball of that over, from Boland bowling over the wicket, Pant attempted one of his patented falling-over scoops, failed to pull it off, and took a painful blow in the bread basket.
To the very next ball, with Boland going round the wicket to straighten the angle, he tried the same shot again, connected, and put it down the throat of Nathan Lyon at deep third running around to behind the keeper's back.
Cue a question we get with unfailing regularity when Pant gets out: What was he thinking?
Probably that he couldn't allow bowlers to settle into preferred lines and lengths. Possibly that mere survival wasn't going to do it for his team -- India needed runs, and the bowling was too sharp, the fielding too tight, for those runs to come through orthodox methods.
Pant has in his career come out on multiple occasions after top order failures and played game-changing knocks punctuated with his brand of unorthodoxy.
If we celebrate those occasions where he lives -- and thrives -- by the sword, I reckon we need to be able to absorb the odd occasion when he dies by the sword without nattering about 'irresponsibility'.
'There was no need for such a shot at that time,' Gavaskar said. Had the connection been a bit more vehement and the ball carried over the boundary, we would have gotten a torrent of hyperbole. Pant just can't win, can he?
(PS: I noticed that Nicholas and Gavaskar, in the lunch break, started their conversation with further excoriation of Pant, the latter questioning whether Pant -- if he insists on batting in this fashion -- deserves the number five position. Really? By that logic, does Rohit Sharma deserve any position in this XI?)
In a logical move, Nitish Kumar Reddy came out ahead of Washington Sundar. Nitish is the more accomplished batsman of the two; he has had an excellent tour thus far with the bat, and coming out to replace Pant broke up the sequence of left-handers.
Nitish started off with trademark fluency but at the other end Jadeja, who had spent a large part of the morning's play concentrating on survival and on adding to his score with nudges and nurdles, was pinned by Lyon when the batsman made the cardinal error of staying back to a length ball from the off-spinner. Jadeja had been staying back to Lyon -- it seemed only a matter of time before the offie would hustle one past the defensive prods. (Jadeja 17 off 51; India 221/7; partnership 30 off 55 with Nitish Reddy contributing 22 off 39 and Jadeja 8 off 16).
In Lyon's next over, Nitish eased onto the front foot, staying leg side to create room to swing his arms, and lofted Lyon over the long on boundary.
An over later, he went the other way, staying back to shorten the length and square driving Lyon for three -- two shots that underlined the need to not allow a spinner to settle into a rhythm and work a batsman out.
It was Reddy's seventh six in this debut series -- one more than Virender Sehwag's record-setting six sixes in 2003.
Nearing lunch, Sundar had a reprieve when Cummins, who yet again produced a masterclass in short-pitched bowling at pace, slanted one across and made it kick to take the bat close to the handle; the ball dropped just in front of Alex Carey to get his gloves under.
India went into lunch at 244/7, still 230 runs in deficit, with Sundar on a circumspect 5 (27 balls) and Reddy on 40 off 61 -- his fourth 40 or better score in this series, in an innings that further emphasises his case to be seen as a middle order batsman of quality.
The session produced 80 runs in 27 overs for the loss of two wickets.
The most interesting aspect of post lunch play is that the new ball is due after seven overs.
Post-lunch session
For the first time in seven Tests, India got to the second new ball in its first innings.
There's been so much debate about the quality -- or lack thereof -- of the bowling, but that statistic puts the onus where it belongs, on a batting lineup that has failed too often, too long, to give the bowlers sufficient support.
Reddy's leaves against Mitchell Starc and Cummins with the second new ball had all the earmarks of a top order batsman, and the crashing square drive through point when Starc offered him a bit of width outside off showcased a batsman alert to opportunity.
That four got him to the first 50 of his fledgling career; a feature of his batting was how at ease he was off both front and back foot, against both pace and spin.
Equally noticeable was the quality of his leaves against the bounce of Cummins -- unlike some of his peers who squat on their haunches, Reddy breaks at the knees, swaying out of the way with his eye on the ball.
Reddy's innings, on top of his performances in previous games, shifts the debate from whether he deserves an all-rounder's slot (he bowled just 7 overs of the 122.4 overs sent down by India's bowlers in the first innings) to whether he deserves a Travis Head-like role as a batsman who might, at need, give you an over or three.
The elephant in this room is Rohit Sharma's form -- a batsman with scores of 3, 6, 10 and 3 in the series thus far, and an aggregate of 155 runs (including one innings of 52) in his last 14 innings does not deserve a pure batting slot at any number.
But Rohit is captain by pre-series decree, and captains are inviolate. Which, until and unless Sharma rediscovers some form, means India is going in with a player short -- and it is this that is forcing the management to 'strengthen the batting' as opposed to picking bowlers for their primary role, wicket-taking.
At the other end, Sundar shrugged off the occasional edges that just failed to get to hand (on one occasion, a waft to leg saw the ball hit the back of the bat and fly to Steve Smith at second slip -- the fielder almost, but not quite, pulled off a catch for the ages) and gave Reddy the support he needed.
A mini achievement was ticked when Lyon was brought in, just 9 overs after the new ball was taken; another when India crossed the 300 run mark in the 92nd over.
More landmarks followed in the 96th over, when Mitch Marsh came on to bowl -- two fours, one a flick in the air to fine leg that just eluded a diving Starc, the next an up-on-the-toes punch through cover, made Reddy the top-scorer in an Indian innings yet again; those runs also made the 8th wicket stand the highest in the Indian innings thus far (103 at that point off 189 balls).
The umpires took players off for bad light as a cloud cover slipped over the ground.
India, at 326/7, had reduced the deficit to 148 and for the first time in this Test, unequivocally won a session.
The Australian bowlers pegged away through the session, skill compensating for near perfect batting conditions on offer.
What was missing was that moment of magic that the Aussie bowlers have earlier produced each time the game seemed to be slipping out of their hands.
Here, in the middle session of the day, Nitish Reddy was just too good, and Washington Sundar too watchful, to permit the breakthrough.
Starc's second spell with the new ball created a potential concern for Australia -- the quick was seen holding his side and wincing after almost every ball, indicating a possible side strain.
Post-tea session
Amidst high drama, with clouds rolling over the MCG and the light fading fast, Nitish Kumar lofted the third ball of the 115th over, from Scott Boland, over mid on to the boundary to bring up his first Test century.
It took 52 deliveries for Reddy to move from 85 (119 balls), his score at tea, to the century. And it was riveting cricket all the way. Here is how it unfolded:
In the third over after tea, Sundar punched a ball to Cummins at mid off and took off for the single. Reddy responded instantly, and Sundar just made his ground before the direct throw broke the stumps.
'Impressive running,' said Adam Gilchrist in the commentary box. Which just goes to show that how a particular play is called depends on the outcome, and not on the play itself. But enough of sly-writing about the Jaiswal run out.
The early passages of post-tea play was marked by tight lines by the two Mitchs, Starc and Marsh. The free flow of runs at the tail end of the second session was stemmed and Reddy, who after a couple of flirts outside off, settled back into leaving on the fourth stump line where Starc consistently tested his skill and his patience.
Australia ringed him around with point, cover, mid off, mid on, midwicket and square leg and Reddy, to his credit, played with circumspection where earlier he had batted with freedom.
The imminence of a personal landmark also seemed to weigh on Reddy, who was noticeably circumspect in his strokeplay early in the session. He progressed to the highest score by an Indian number eight in Australia through a series of singles.
With Australia bowling dry, the first ten overs of the final session produced just 13. To their credit, both batsmen held their nerve, and their composure. through the period.
Sundar got to his personal landmark first, with another quick single to mid off 50 off 146 balls, with just the one four when he slammed a loosener from Starc to the point boundary before tea.
And Reddy, next ball off Lyon, carved him to the backward point boundary in the first show of aggression after tea, to get within one big hit of a maiden century.
Boland was particularly brilliant in this period, with a relentless line and just enough variations in length to keep the batsmen on their toes. He even induced an inner edge from the well set Reddy that squirted to backward square for a single, passing inches away from the stumps.
In an anti-climax, with Reddy three shy of his century, Lyon finally produced the kind of delivery he is known for. Tossed up, with drift, hitting length and turning and bouncing to take Sundar's edge high on the bat to the sole slip.
The batsman was done by length that drew him forward, and bounce that left him helpless to keep it down. India 348/8, Sundar 50 off 162 and the partnership 127 off 285 balls.
With Bumrah for company and Siraj to follow, Reddy took to turning down singles Australia offered him. And the drama escalated when he lofted Boland's last delivery, just clearing mid off and taking two to get him to 99 and, more to the point, taking him off strike.
Cummins promptly replaced Lyon to target Bumrah. And off the third ball of his over, Cummins struck, taking the edge of Bumrah's defensive prod through to first slip for an easy catch. 390/5 India, Siraj in with three balls to face, and Reddy stranded on 99 at the other end as clouds rolled in over the MCG and the light weakened.
Confronted with three slips, two gullies, a short leg and a silly point, Siraj held his nerve, and survived.
And then Reddy reached the landmark -- and the roar from the MCG was deafening even through the filter of television.
He got his runs predominantly on the off side, an indicator of how straight he played. And to go with the fluent strokeplay that got him 10 fours and a six, he also ran 36 singles, five twos and four threes.
It was a proper Test innings, it was of the highest class, and given the circumstances it came in, it was one of the best innings by an Indian batsman in recent memory.
An over later, the umpires took the players off for light; Nitish walked back to back pats and congratulations from the Aussie fielders and an uproarious ovation from the capacity crowd.
Related thoughts: During the premature tea break, former coach Ravi Shastri made a point that amplifies Reddy has shown that he can, and should, bat in the top six. And if he does, India can go in to Sydney with a balanced team of five bowlers and six batsmen.
The question, though, is who is that top six? K L Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and to an extent, Virat Kohli seal their slots. With Reddy, that is five -- so who is the sixth?
The obvious answer given the composition of the squad is Shubman Gill -- but what do you then do with the designated skipper, Rohit Sharma?
The pragmatic call is that Sharma should bench himself. Then Rahul and Jaiswal open, Gill bats at three (with the coach telling him firmly to get with the programme, that pretty twenties and thirties are not doing justice to his ability) and the rest of the batting lineup falls into place, with Reddy at five and Pant at six.
In the bowling, Jasprit Bumrah is the certainty. Equally certain is that Siraj needs to sit one out, with Prasidh Krishna the best replacement from among the available squad. The question of the other three depends on whether India wants to go in to Sydney with one spinner or two, and that in turn depends on the nature of the wicket at the SCG.
It's a piquant problem to have, and how team India solves it will tell us much about the team's priorities, and equally about a particular individual's character. But all that is for the near future -- in the present, the story is about how, on 'moving day', the balance of power shifted dramatically.
At start of play, the logical possibility was that Australia would work through the Indian innings in the first or, at worst, the second session and end with a lead of between 170 and 200 runs. The home side would then have a good two sessions, one today and the first one tomorrow, to bat their way to a 400 run lead and put India under pressure batting last.
The Nitish Reddy-Washington Sundar partnership torpedoed those possibilities, in two ways.
First, they kept the Australian bowlers at bay for the first two sessions and beyond; second, they took huge chunks out of Australia's possible lead.
And, bonus, they made the Australian bowlers bowl a lot of overs (the two had gotten together in the 65th over), making the bowlers as leg weary as their Indian counterparts.
The shoe is now on the other foot -- it is India that can feel relatively secure, and Australia that has to do all the running. The conundrum for the home side now is, how many runs do they need, and how quickly do they need it, to give themselves a chance to bowl India out?
The outlying possibility is a good bowling effort by India in the second innings and a collapse by Australia, which could well open up the possibility of an Indian win.
The most likely outcome now is a draw, though. That won't help India in its fast-fading attempt to qualify for the World Test Championship final -- but it means India get to go to the SCG with honours still intact, knowing that even a draw in the final Test maintains its stranglehold on the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
The biggest plus for India from today's play is that it changes the mood, from the siege mentality consequent on being under the pump over the first two days to a more positive, even combative, outlook.
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