Nitish Kumar Reddy drops Allu Arjun's iconic 'Pushpa' celebration ...

Nitish Kumar Reddy produced an impressive knock under pressure during the Boxing Day Test on Saturday, reaching his maiden half-century in Test cricket. He made sure to celebrate the moment in a unique and memorable way, too.

After a string of near-fifties, Reddy finally crossed the elusive mark, much to the delight of his fans and teammates. The 21-year-old batter reached his half-century in style, hitting a boundary off a wide delivery from Mitchell Starc, and immediately followed it up with a celebration inspired by the recently-released movie, ‘Pushpa: The Rise’.

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

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

In the context of the film, the dialogue symbolizes the character’s unyielding determination, an attitude that Reddy seemed to channel as he celebrated his achievement.

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Reddy’s half-century came at a crucial time in the ongoing Test, with India under pressure to avoid the follow-on. The side faced a batting-order collapse in the final 30 minutes of Day 2, losing three wickets including those of Yashasvi Jaiswal (82) and Virat Kohli (36). On the third day, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja also departed early, but Nitish, alongside Washington Sundar, stitched a valuable partnership to help India avoid the follow-on and further reduce the gap with the home side.

Throughout the course of his innings, Nitish also climbed to third spot among India's highest run-scorers in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Nitish's maturity at the crease and his ability to rise to the occasion have drawn praise from all corners, especially considering the tour Down Under was his maiden appearance in the longest format.