Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana striking debuts show India are up for a fight in Australia

Australia can be the most daunting place to make one’s Test debut. There is a certain aura about the cricketing powerhouse that is unmistakable. The pitches are uniquely challenging, the crowds can be hostile and unforgiving, and the opposition is uncompromising and tough as nails. Debuting in Australia is a baptism of fire.

India unleashed two debutants in the first of five Tests against Australia, which started at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Friday. One was a 21-year-old all-rounder-in-the-making with 23 first-class appearances against his name, the other a 22-year-old fast bowler who has played a mere 10 first-class games. The former answered to the name of Nitish Kumar Reddy, the latter is Harshit Rana, both fast-tracked to the Test set-up primarily but not entirely on the back of their impressive performances in IPL 2024.

Nitish, Harshit impress on dramatic Day 1

Neither disappointed on a dramatic day in the Western Australian capital. As many as 17 wickets tumbled with the faster bowlers having a field day, India fighting back after being bowled out for 150 by reducing the hosts to 67 for seven.

Nitish was the first in action, batting at a very low No. 8 which is perhaps in keeping with his red-ball average of 21.05. India’s top had been blown away by Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh, the team reeling at 73 for seven when Nitish strode in to join Rishabh Pant. For the next hour and a half, batting with the composure of a seasoned pro, showing no signs of nerves and exhibiting a smarts that belied his lack of experience, Nitish propped up the Indian innings, contributing a top score of 41 off the 77 runs that were accrued when he was in the middle.

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His first few deliveries were met with the most confident of strides and the straightest of bats, pace making no impression on the slight young man. His innate intelligence surfaced when Pat Cummins brought on off-spinner Nathan Lyon for a few exploratory overs. Aware that the 500-wicket provided him with the best scoring opportunity – what cheek, one might say – Nitish took to Lyon with scant regard for reputation, driving him twice over the infield on the off-side for fours and then reverse-sweeping him twice more for further boundaries to quickly swell the Indian tally.

These strokes weren’t executed out of desperation. Within the first few deliveries of facing up to Lyon, Nitish figured out that there was no drift for the off-spinner, so he could hit through the line without fear of being done in in the air so long as he got to the pitch of the ball. It is one thing to have the intent to do so, but to be actually able to translate well thought out plans into sterling action called for more than just skills and temperament. It needed courage. Or bottle, as they say.

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How Gambhir’s suggestion helped Nitish 

That bottle was provided by head coach Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday, after India’s net session. Like all newcomers, Nitish was a little in awe of Perth’s reputation for throwing up bouncy pitches, but Gambhir’s words left a lasting impression on him.

The head coach told him that if he got peppered by the short stuff and took blows on his shoulders or body, he should think of that as taking ‘bullets for the country’. He didn’t receive any body blows as such; instead, he was the one doling them out, accruing crucial runs that could have a big influence on how the low-scoring Test pans out.

Nitish and Rana spent Thursday night having dinner together and going out for a cycle ride, both trying to curb their excitement and enthusiasm after having been told that they would be receiving the caps the following morning. Virat Kohli, Nitish’s idol from the time he can remember, presented the Andhra player with his cap while Rana received his from R Ashwin, the off-spinner who warmed the bench after Washington Sundar got the nod.

Rana hadn’t done much with the bat – not a lot was expected of him, truth to tell – but he was terrific with the ball, gradually building up steam and ensuring that he didn’t fritter away the good work of his captain Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

He was quickly summoned to the bowling crease, in the eighth over with the hosts on 19 for three, and immediately hit his straps. To those who have watched him playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, Rana is an excitable kid prone to getting carried away, and while he only reined in and did not entirely forsake his aggression, he was a lot more composed and in sync with the requirements of the situation and his team.

A strong lad who can – and did – touch 140 kmph, Rana made excellent use of the inputs from Bumrah and bowling coach Morne Morkel by pitching the ball further up than in India. For young guns who experience such conditions as existed at the Optus, it is easy to test out the bounce but Rana was in supreme control of his emotions and his instincts, keeping up the pressure by hitting the areas that would pose the most difficult questions to the batters.

The ball with which he picked up his maiden Test wicket was a peach. Even Mitchell Starc, Australia’s swinging sensation, was impressed with one that slanted in towards Travis Head and broke away just a shade on pitching to curl around the outside edge and hit off pole.

It is the kind of ball any right-arm bowler dreams of delivering to a left-hand batter. That Rana managed to do so with just his 13th delivery in Test cricket must have lifted him immensely, and while he did offer a few loose gifts to Alex Carey late in the evening, he will reflect fondly on his first day as a Test cricketer.

Even a couple of months back, neither Nitish nor Rana would have realistically expected to be debuting in the five-day game before the end of the year, but life has strange and funny plans. How well one makes use of unexpected windfalls is what’s most important; Nitish and Rana have begun well but they are aware that this is but the start. ‘Bullets for the country,’ remember?