Nitish Kumar Reddy post for Father: India’s rising star Nitish Kumar Reddy dedicated his maiden Test century against Australia in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday to his father Mutyala Reddy. Nitish’s first Test century came at a crucial juncture on the third day of the Boxing Day Test. With India going through a difficult period, his unbeaten inning of 105 not only stabilized the team but also showed his composure and skill under pressure. Facing 171 balls, his innings included 10 fours and a six.
After his historic innings during the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Nitish shared an emotional picture of his father in tears on social media, captioning it: “This one’s for you dad!”
This one’s for you, dad! https://t.co/9qntcj6YBh
— Nitish Kumar Reddy (@NKReddy07) December 28, 2024
Nitish entered the field for India at a time when India were struggling at 221/7 after the dismissals of Rishabh Pant (28) and Ravindra Jadeja (17) in the morning session. Unfazed by the mounting pressure, the 21-year-old played the innings with incredible patience and determination, showcasing his ability to stand his ground against Australia’s strong bowling line-up.
Mutyala Reddy had unwavering faith in his son’s abilities, due to which he left his steady job at Hindustan Zinc in 2016, so that he could completely focus on Nitish’s cricketing aspirations. This decision came with financial difficulties, sleepless nights and countless sacrifices, but Mutyala never let his commitment waver.
Nitish revealed in a BCCI video, “My father left his job for me.” “I once saw him crying because of financial difficulties, and it changed something inside me. I realized that I should take cricket seriously – not only for myself but for him too. I still remember that I gave him my first jersey and saw the happiness on his face. That moment became my inspiration.”
This innings also highlighted Reddy’s remarkable consistency throughout the series. Before his heroics in Melbourne, he had made useful contributions in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring 41, 38 not out, 42 and 16 in five innings. With India still trailing by 116 runs, Reddy’s role will be important as he will open the batting with Mohammed Siraj on the fourth day.
