India’s rising star Nitish Kumar Reddy dedicated to his father, Mutayala Reddy, his maiden Test century against Australia in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground here on Saturday.
Nitish’s maiden Test century came at a critical juncture on the third day of the Boxing Day Test. Walking in with India reeling, his innings of unbeaten 105 not only stabilised the team but showcased his temperament and skill under pressure.
Facing 171 balls, his knock included 10 boundaries and a six. Taking to social media after his milestone knock during the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Nitish shared an emotional photo of his father in tears, captioned: “This one’s for you dad!” Nitish entered the fray at a precarious moment for India, who were struggling at 221/7 after losing Rishabh Pant (28) and Ravindra Jadeja (17) early in the morning session.
Undeterred by the mounting pressure, the 21-year-old produced an innings of incredible poise and determination, showcasing his ability to rise to the occasion against a formidable Australian bowling lineup.
Mutayala Reddy’s unwavering belief in his son’s abilities led him to quit his stable job at Hindustan Zinc in 2016 to focus entirely on Nitish’s cricketing aspirations. This decision came with financial hardships, sleepless nights, and countless sacrifices, but Mutayala never wavered in his commitment. “My father left his job for me,” Nitish revealed in a BCCI video.
“I saw him crying once because of the financial difficulties we were facing, and it changed something in me. I realised I had to take cricket seriously-not just for myself but for him. I still remember giving him my first jersey and seeing the happiness on his face. That moment became my motivation.”.
The innings also highlighted Reddy’s remarkable consistency throughout the series. Before his MCG heroics, he had delivered useful contributions with scores of 41, 38 not out, 42, and 16 across five innings in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With India still trailing by 116 runs, Reddy’s role will remain critical as he resumes batting with Mohammed Siraj on Day 4.
