Indian cricket’s latest sensation Nitish Reddy wasn’t initially “serious” about cricket, but everything changed after he witnessed his father, overwhelmed by financial struggles, in tears. This moment became a turning point for the young all-rounder, who made a vow to work harder and turn his cricketing dreams into reality. His determination paid off with a stellar debut for India in the first Test against Australia in Perth. Reddy impressed with the bat, scoring 41 and 38 runs in the First innings at Perth against formidable bowlers like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood. He also claimed a wicket as India secured a dominant 295-run victory.
“In my younger days, to be honest, I wasn’t serious about cricket,” Reddy admitted in a video released by the BCCI. “My father left his job for me, and there were many sacrifices along the way. One day, I saw him crying because of our financial struggles, and I realized that I couldn’t just play cricket for fun when he made so many sacrifices for me.”
“That was the moment I decided to take the game seriously. I worked hard, and it paid off. As the son of a middle-class family, I feel proud to see my father happy now. I gave him my first jersey, and the joy on his face was priceless.”
The 21-year-old is expected to retain his spot in the second Pink-ball Test at Adelaide Oval after scoring a quickfire 42 off 32 balls in the day-night warm-up match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.
In the second innings of his debut match in Perth, Reddy shared an unbroken 77-run partnership with his idol, Virat Kohli, who handed him his maiden Test cap, fulfilling a childhood dream.
Recalling a moment from 2018, when he took a selfie with Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma at the BCCI awards night, Reddy shared, “I took the selfie as a precaution, because Kohli was such a big star at the time. I thought if I didn’t get the chance later, at least I’d have this picture.”
Reddy added, “I’ve been a huge fan of Virat bhaiya since childhood. I would watch every match, hoping he’d score a century and celebrate. I even used to calculate my age, wondering if I’d debut for India before he retired.”
Reflecting on his partnership with Kohli, Reddy said, “When I was batting with him, I kept an eye on his progress, thinking he was nearing his hundred. I didn’t even realize that I was close to my own fifty. When he scored his 81st century, I was so pumped up, it was a moment I’ll never forget.”
Reddy also spoke about the advice he received from KL Rahul before his debut: “I was nervous at first about interacting with players I’d grown up watching on TV. I turned to KL bhai for guidance, and he always gave me good vibes. He once told me, ‘When you go out to bat, everything happens so quickly. Slow down the game.’ That advice really helped me when I was out in the middle for my debut.”
The all-rounder explained his preparation for high-pressure games: “I do a lot of shadow practice, visualizing the bowlers I’ll face and thinking about which shots to play in different situations. When I actually face them in the middle, it feels like I’ve already practiced it.”
