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New Year arrived early at Nitish Kumar Reddy household on Saturday. With just three days to welcome 2025, the 21-year-old from Andhra Pradesh hogged the limelight at a packed Melbourne Cricket Stadium (MCG) with a maiden international hundred against Australia on Day 3 of the ongoing fourth Test.
Having gotten the starts in the previous games of the series, Nitish failed to make it big. The right-hander didn't let go the opportunity on Saturday. Coming in when India were reeling at 191/6 after the dismissal of Rishabh Pant, Reddy grabbed the chance with both hands and set an example for his seniors on how to bat on Australian conditions.
With the MCG track not offering much to the bowlers, Reddy played a huge role in India's fightback against Australia's first innings total of 474. His combative spirit, along with grit and determination, was on display in Melbourne as he shared an invaluable 127-run stand with Washington Sundar (50 off 162 balls) to keep the visitors alive.
The youngster's maiden hundred could have been in danger when Jasprit Bumrah edged at the skips for nought. But last man Mohammed Siraj ensured Reddy savour his moment of dreams by blocking Pat Cummins thrice in the over.
Finally, Reddy held his hands aloft in joy with a lofted shot off Scott Boland as he balanced his helmet with the bat and took a knee, expressing his gratitude towards the Indian dug-out which gave him a standing ovation.
But behind all this is one man called Muthyala Reddy - Nitish's father. While his daughter and wife somewhere else in the stands, Muthyala chose the MCG first row to witness the moment they have been longing for with naked eyes. As soon as Nitish reached the magical figures, tears rolled in Muthyala eyes as he soaked in the atmosphere thanking God.
A die-hard fan of Virat Kohli, Nitish was 12 or 13 years old when his father left his job at Hindustan Zinc Limited to focus on his son's cricketing career. Although relatives questioned Muthyala decision, he believed in his ward and supported the kid amidst all criticism.
First with an IPL contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad and now with a Test ton at MCG, Nitish and his father have well answered the relatives who questioned them back then.
Initially, Nitish was a carefree kid like everyone else. But when he saw his father in tears because of the financial burden, the youngster couldn't afford to stay carefree. With seriousness, sheer determination and hard ward, Nitish saw growth in a year and there have been no looking back since then.
However, despite the fame and the popularity along with a ₹6 crore price tag in IPL, the Reddys continue to stay in a rented house in Madhurawada on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam.
Nitish can easily afford a luxurious home for his family. But his humbleness along with the ability to pay respect to the things that were his companions during tough times is what rates Nitish above from others.
From initially missing on a picture with his idol Kohli at BCCI annual awards in 2018, to sharing the same dressing room with the batting stalwart, Nitish has come a long way. In fact, Nitish can see his name alongside Kohli at the MCG honours board now. Kohli too had a hundred at the same venue 10 years ago when he scored 169 in a drawn encounter.
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