Breakout star Nitish Kumar Reddy has made a brave and captivating century to haul India back into the Boxing Day Test.

Reddy made 108, rescuing India after another middle order failure, to leave them 9-358 and 116 runs behind Australia’s first innings at stumps on day three.

It also means an MCG crowd — which will on Sunday become the biggest ever for a Boxing Day Test — will get their second glimpse at Australia’s boy wonder Sam Konstas on day four.

Konstas stunned the cricket world with his audacious 60 on the opening morning and the youngest-ever man to open the batting in a Test for Australia has a chance to build on their lead.

Reddy’s famous MCG hundred included a nerve-riddled over where teammate Jasprit Bumrah was dismissed by Pat Cummins, leaving jack Mohammed Siraj to ride out three deliveries with Reddy stranded on 99.

Reddy had reluctantly run a two from the final ball of the previous over. Siraj’s survival sent the MCG’s Indian crowd into raptures.

His 105 is the highest-ever score by a No.8 in a Test at the venue, beating Mitchell Johnson’s 92 against South Africa and his 127-run combination with Washington Sundar is the sixth-highest against Australia in the past two years.

The pair arrived at the crease after a middle-order collapse left them on the brink of disaster and left with their side back in the contest.

Players came off the ground for bad light more than an hour before the scheduled close of play — which had already been adjusted due to rain — before stumps was called during another downpour.

Bumrah edged Pat Cummins behind for a third-ball duck after Washington had guided a ball off Nathan Lyon to slip in a pulsating half-hour.

Reddy, who made his debut in Perth just over a month ago and hadn’t scored a half-century, lofted Scott Boland over long-on for four to bring up his ton, which he then celebrated by kneeling on the ground with one fist raised to the sky.

Australia still have the upper-hand with two days to play, but their four-wicket day has brought a draw — and India — into the mix.

Boland conceded their day “could have been better” but said the morale in the group was good.

India made the bold call to elevate Reddy to No.7 and Washington to No.8 as part of a ploy to fit two spinners in their side.

Reddy, who already had the best batting average of any Indian player, brought up his maiden Test half-century in the middle session and looked untroubled by the fresh Kookaburra and some baffling Australian bowling plans.

Mitchell Starc received attention from the team physio on his back between overs towards the end of the middle session.

And noise around Mitch Marsh’s future is growing louder. He has bowled just one over on Friday — his fourth for the innings — and looked off his best again. Marsh has 0-24 from his four overs after he also failed with the bat on the opening day.

The fightback campaign came after more shambolic running between wickets and a Rishabh Pant brain fade left India’s hopes hanging by a very thin thread.

Pant was one of two Indian batters to fall in the opening session of day three, but Australia had as many as five more run-out chances, the session after Virat Kohli burnt teammate Yashashvi Jaiswal.

In three balls of chaos, Pant pulled away from a Scott Boland delivery — for the second time in the morning session — then tried to scoop a ball over his shoulder and was struck in the midriff, only to then try the same shot to the very next delivery.

He skied a catch to Lyon at third man on 28 as India’s hopes rested on his shoulders.

Pant’s decision to try back-to-back ramps off Boland was slammed by Indian great Sunil Gavaskar.

“Stupid stupid stupid. That is not playing your natural game. That is a stupid shot,” he told the ABC.

The wicket-keeper had batted for almost an hour with Ravindra Jadeja in the morning session and the spinning all-rounder was the next wicket to fall.

It was a rare breakthrough in this series for Lyon, who trapped his fellow off-spinner on the crease and had him out lbw for 17. Jadeja reviewed the decision, but was halfway off the playing surface by the time ball tracking was shown on the big screen.

India had the best of the batting conditions through the morning, but things got trickier after the early afternoon rain delay.

Boland said he was confident the wicket would still have some “nip” in it across the final two days and predicted some variable bounce.

“I’m not too sure if it’s going to spin too much more, I think there is a decent amount of grass on there, so I’m definitely hoping it spins a lot more,” he said.

“Hopefully there will be some variable bounce, just as Test match wickets get a bit tired, that would be ideal for us.”

Play will start early at 7am (AWST) on Sunday after delays on day three.