'Nothing That I Have Ever...': Cricket Australia CEO On MCG Crowd Reaction After Nitish Reddy's Historic Century

The collective roar of Indian fans after Nitish Kumar Reddy’s maiden hundred is something that he has never heard at the MCG, and Cricket Australia’s outgoing CEO Nick Hockley said on Sunday that it validated the decision to add a Test to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The CA's decision to increase the number of Tests for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from four to five has proved to be a masterstroke as crowd attendance and viewership records are set to surpass the hallowed Ashes.

"I want to say thank you to everyone who turned up, the atmosphere last night when Nitish Kumar Reddy scored his hundred, the roar of the crowd was nothing that I have ever heard," Hockley told PTI in an exclusive interaction.

The record total attendance (over five days) for a Boxing Day Test till date is 271,865 against England back in 2013 and the fourth Test involving India has already witnessed a footfall of 255,462 spectators.

With two more days left, CA is expecting the attendance to go well past 300,000.

Hockley couldn’t be more thrilled.

"Absolutely thrilled with the number of fans that have come round from all over India. It’s been an absolutely incredible atmosphere as we got over a quarter million people over the gates and that’s too on days one, two and three," Hockley said.

"This Border-Gavaskar Trophy has had the biggest Boxing Day crowd ever passing the Ashes and the series is so delicately poised now, it is living up to every hype."

Hockley, who has had a good working relationship with the BCCI, said it was a no-brainer that the four-Test series between India and Australia transformed into a five-match rubber, considering its massive following.

"I think it speaks about the relations between India and Australia and fans are always excited to see these two teams. The five-Test series is what the fans deserve, players deserve. This series is likely to be alive going into Sydney.

We haven’t had a full fifth day as we have had some unfinished business. I thank and am very grateful to the BCCI to have agreed to play a five-Test series. Hope it continues for the rest of the time."