Nitish K Reddy A STAR IS BORN

Youngster from Andhra cracks scintillating ton to stamp his arrival, rescues India in the process; Family support & vital lessons at domestic setup reasons behind his rise

- TNIE@ BORDER-GAVASKAR TROPHY

Imagine being Mutyala Reddy right now. You are at the lower stands of the Melbourne Cricket Ground with your wife and daughter. Your son Nitish K Reddy – the one you have been with every step of the way, watching and doing everything in your power to help him in his cricket – runs towards you, kneels in front of you and dedicates a hundred, his first one for India in Test cricket, to you and your family.

Mutyala lived all of those emotions at the MCG on Saturday. He let out all his pent-up emotions. By his side was his wife, visibly in tears as he let out a roar and felt as proud as he had ever been of his son. Just as Nitish walked across the field, he saw the entire Indian team and support staff gather around to welcome his son on the boundary ropes. He, along with Washington Sundar, had just saved the day for India in front of 83,000 fans in a crucial Test match against Australia. He couldn’t control his tears even when he was getting interviewed by Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan where he tried to describe what had been an unforgettable day.

Just as the umpires called stumps, with Nitish remaining unbeaten on 105, the Reddy family got swarmed by the fans.

They slowly tried to move towards the exit, but could not. Fans, who got their voice because of what his son did on the field for India, and the media, who wanted to record this historic moment, kind of, mobbed his family and tried to walk with them. Everyone wanted to know what it felt like to be Nitish’s father, what it was like to be here in this moment to witness his 21-year-old son rise to the occasion and announce his arrival as an international cricketer.