Rise of new star at Melbourne; Nitish Kumar Reddy celebrates half-century and maiden century with 'Pushpa' and 'Baahubali' poses

MELBOURNE: 21-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy became a superstar yesterday after scoring his maiden century (105 not out) against the Australian bowling at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground. Nitish saved India from the embarrassment of follow on.

The 83,000 spectators in the gallery gave a standing ovation to Nitish as he completed his century by driving fast bowler Boland to the mid-on boundary. Nitish's father Mutyala Reddy, who even quit his job and supported his son's love of cricket, was also present in the gallery to witness this with tears of joy.

Nitish, a native of Visakhapatnam, who made his debut in the Perth Test, has performed well so far. Nitish is also India's top scorer in the series.