New Delhi: His prayers heard, Nitish Kumar Reddy’s father Mutyala Reddy shed tears of joy as his son conquered the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) with his maiden century for India in the 4th Test against Australia. Thousands erupted to celebrate inside the stands as the 21-year-old completed his first ton for India in the whites, leading the visitors’ fightback with a knock for the ages.
As others cheered, shouted and applauded, Mutayala couldn’t hold back his tears. Surrounded by family members and the Indian fans seated around, the father looked above and thanked the almighty having witnessed his son fulfil a dream that the father-son duo saw together a few years back. His heart swelling with pride and his emotions taking over, Mutayala Reddy saw his years of sacrifices finally bore fruit at the grandest stage of them all at the MCG.
In pursuit of Australia’s first innings total of 474 runs, India were tottering at 191/6 when Nitish arrived in the middle with pressure blowing through the roof. But there were no signs of nerves for the 21-year-old, who showcased his skills and class en route to a special ton. Nitish went on to complete his maiden Test ton off 171 balls and shared a record 127-run stand for the 8th wicket with Washington Sundar, who scored a gritty half-century.
The duo produced a match-saving partnership which not only helped India avoid the follow-on but also pushed Australia in a tight corner for a while. Sundar departed with Reddy on 97 but the Hyderabad all-rounder held his nerves under pressure to see off a jittery spell in the 90s to eventually get to his ton with some support from tail-ender and his fellow Hyderabadi Mohammed Siraj.
Nitish finished with an unbeaten 105 as his heroic ton propelled India to 358/9 at stumps on Day 3 after rain interrupted the proceedings towards the end of play. His ton once again brought to the fore the sacrifices his father made to ensure Nitish flourished in his cricketing career and realised his dream of playing for India.
THE CELEBRATION FROM NKR’S FATHER IS SIMPLY AMAZING. 🥹❤️
– Nitish Kumar Reddy, you’ve made whole India proud. 🇮🇳pic.twitter.com/Gx1PFY7RnE
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 28, 2024
The sacrifices of father and the making of an extraordinary journey
As Nitish’s childhood coach Kumar Swamy put it, the India all-rounder’s father is the actual hero of his journey. Had it not been for Reddy Sr, Nitish might never have played cricket for India, let alone have a crowd of 50,000 giving him a standing ovation after a memorable knock at the MCG. Nitish’s father played an instrumental role in his career and his rise as a cricketer by sacrificing his own job and dreams.
Mutyala Reddy quit his government job in 2012 in a bid to further harbour his son’s cricketing dream, a decision that naturally invited criticism from neighbours, relatives and even the closest members of the family. Nitish, a teenager at the time, had not achieved anything significant as a junior cricketer and was still learning the tricks and trades of the game.
Mutyala Reddy had a well-cushioned government job at Hindustan Zinc. However, he was asked to relocate to Rajasthan’s Udaipur after the organisation suspended operations in Visakhapatnam in March 2012. It was not an easy call, but Mutyala decided to quit his job and stay back at his native place to ensure Nitish didn’t face any hurdles in his cricket coaching.
“At that time, Nitish was just learning the basics of cricket and I thought if I go to Udaipur, it would be difficult for him to manage with language. We also weren’t sure about the facilities with regards to cricket, so I thought it would be better if I stay back at my native place and help Nitish pursue his passion,” Nitish Reddy’s father told Cricbuzz in an interview.
Mutyala Reddy still had 25 years of service left when he quit his government job but didn’t think twice about resigning as he wanted to support his son in his cricketing journey. There were tough days ahead as he was duped by some of his close friends after starting a money-lending business from his retirement fund of Rs 20 lakh.
It became hard for him to make ends meet and there were sleepless nights in the family with missed meals. But the father-son duo stood tall and managed to cross every hurdle that came their way together. Having quit his job, Mutayla gave his full attention to Nitish. From taking him to coaching to attending matches with him, his guidance ensured his son rose through the ranks to get the elusive India cap.
“To be honest, I was not serious when I was young. My father left his job for me and there has been a lot of sacrifice behind my story. One day, I saw him crying because of financial problems we were facing and I was like this is not how you can be that my father made the sacrifices and you play cricket just for fun. At that time, I became serious and I got the growth, I worked hard and it paid off,” Nitish told BCCI TV.
“As a son from a middle-class family, I am so proud that my father is happy now. I gave my first jersey to him and saw happiness in his face and I feel very proud,” he added.
Rise and rise of Nitish Reddy
Nitish’s rise has been remarkable as he continues to make a name for himself at the highest level. He rose to fame earlier this year after shining for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Nitish scored 303 runs and picked up three wickets for SRH to play a key role in their run to the final of the tournament.
He was soon fast-tracked into the Indian team and made his T20I debut in the home series against Bangladesh in October this year. Reddy went on to impress in his debut T20I series with 90 runs at a strike rate of 180, including a brisk fifty against Bangladesh. He was picked in India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and made his debut in the series opener in Perth.
There has been no looking back ever since for the young all-rounder, who has turned out to be a revelation for India in the series. While he hasn’t contributed a lot with the ball, Nitish has arguably been one of India’s best batters in the series despite being on his first tour of Australia. The all-rounder has already smashed 284 runs at an average of 71 and is India’s leading run-getter in the series so far.
Reddy has already shown he has the temperament and calibre to be more than just a dependable batter for India in the middle order and might have ended India’s search for a pace all-rounder in Tests. He will be hoping to continue his stellar show in the remainder of the series and help India clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the third time in a row.
Nitish Reddy’s father Mutayala Reddy couldn’t control his tears in the stand as his son smashed his maiden Test century for India against Australia at the MCG. Behind those tears of joy was a proud father, who quit his job early, toiled for years and did everything he could to help his son realise his dream of playing cricket for India. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
