Nitish Kumar Reddy ditches Allu Arjun’s legendary ‘Pushpa’ celebration after a stellar half-century under pressure at MCG

Nitish Kumar Reddy performed impressively under pressure in the Boxing Day Test on Saturday, scoring his first half-century in Test cricket. He also made sure to celebrate this moment in a unique and unforgettable way.

After a string of close to fifty points, Reddy finally crossed the elusive mark, much to the delight of his fans and teammates. The 21-year-old batsman reached his half-century in style as he hit the boundary after a long throw from Mitchell Starc and immediately afterwards enjoyed a celebration inspired by the recently released film Pushpa: The Rise.

In a nod to the film’s iconic character Pushpa Raj, Reddy raised his bat around his neck, mimicking actor Allu Arjun’s famous gesture. The move caught the attention of veteran commentator Sunil Gavaskar, who immediately recognized the celebration.

Gavaskar exclaimed with a hint of amusement, “O… Pushpa,” acknowledging the unmistakable reference to the character’s famous line, “Pushpa jhukega nahi,” which translates to “Pushpa will never bow!”

In the context of the film, the dialogue symbolizes the character’s unyielding determination, a sentiment Reddy apparently expressed while celebrating his achievement.

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Reddy’s half-century came at a crucial juncture in the ongoing Test when India were under pressure to avoid the replacement. The side faced a collapse in the batting order in the last 30 minutes of the second day and lost three wickets, including those of Yashasvi Jaiswal (82) and Virat Kohli (36). Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja also suffered early exits on the third day, but Nitish, along with Washington Sundar, formed a valuable partnership to help India avoid injury and further reduce the gap to the home team.

Over the course of his innings, Nitish also climbed to the third position among India’s top run-scorers in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Nitish’s maturity at the crease and his ability to rise to the occasion was praised from all quarters, especially considering the Tour Down Under was his first appearance in the longest format.