Nitish Kumar Reddy scored a brilliant hundred for India at the MCG. But his father is the real hero of his story. (AP/BCCI)
When Nitish Kumar Reddy scored his maiden Test century at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), he seemed relieved, and one could tell he had finally arrived on the big stage. But Reddy's ton was not just a personal triumph but also a tribute to his dedication and his father's unwavering support.
The story of Nitish Kumar Reddy is one of sacrifice and the true power of perseverance. But if there is one person who has been the protagonist, it is his father, Mutyala Reddy.
"Everyone wants to be a hero in their cinema, but when it comes to Nitish's story, it is Mutyala who is the hero. It is his father's hard work which fuels Nitish to achieve something in life. He witnessed everything his father had undergone. Especially there was a lot of criticism even from his close family members about him not having a job and wasting his time, but the father never gave up," said childhood coach Kumar Swamy to theindianexpress.com.
Reddy's sacrifice wasn't without its challenges. Leaving a stable job for his son's uncertain cricketing dream meant facing criticism, even from close family members.
Nitish, initially a carefree kid, couldn't ignore the toll his passion was taking on his father. Reflecting on it, Reddy in a chat with bcci.tv said, "To be honest, I was not that serious when I was young. My father left his job for me. There has been lots of sacrifice in my story. One day I saw him crying due to financial problems he had, and it felt like I had to do the hard work".
"Like, your father did this sacrifice and you are just enjoying cricket by playing it for fun. So that time, I took it seriously and suddenly in one year, I got the growth, did the hard work and it paid off," he added.
On Saturday at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, all that hard work came to fruition when Nitish finally reached the three-figure mark.
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