India's rising star Nitish Kumar Reddy created history with his maiden Test century against Australia on Saturday. He was unbeaten with a score of 105 at the end of play on Day 3 of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Nitish's maiden Test century came at a crucial time in the Boxing Day Test. While India were reeling, his innings of 105 unbeaten not only stabilized the team but also showed his temperament and skill under pressure. Facing 171 balls, his knock included 10 boundaries and a six.
After his hard blow, Nitish's family went to meet him at his hotel room and they all found it difficult to control their emotions. Watch the video here:
The Reddy family today is a bundle of emotions. Witness the magical moment they hugged Nitish after he stunned the world with his extraordinary maiden Test century at the MCG.
A day that will be etched in the memory… pic.twitter.com/uz9mrASuRm
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 28, 2024
Nitish entered the fray at a precarious time 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, demonstrating his ability to rise to the occasion against a formidable Australian bowling line-up.
Mutayala Reddy's unwavering belief in his son's capabilities prompted him to quit his regular job at Hindustan Zinc in 2016 to fully concentrate on Nitish's cricketing ambitions. This decision came with financial hardships, sleepless nights and countless sacrifices, but Mutayala never wavered in his dedication.
“My father quit his job for me,” Nitish revealed in a BCCI video. “I once saw him cry because of the financial problems we were facing, and it changed something in me. I realized that I had to take cricket seriously, not just for myself, but for him too. I still remember that I gave him my first jersey and 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 made useful contributions with scores of 41, 38 not out, 42 and 16 over five innings in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
With India still trailing by 116 runs, Reddy's role will remain crucial when he resumes the clash with Mohammed Siraj on Day 4.
(With IANS inputs)
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