MELBOURNE: 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 family.
You let out all your pent-up emotions. Your wife is visibly in tears as you let out a roar and feel as proud as you have ever been of your son. Just as Nitish walks across the field, you see the entire Indian team and support staff gather around to welcome your son on the boundary ropes. He, along with Washington Sundar, has just saved the day for India in front of 83,000 fans in a crucial Test match against Australia. You couldn’t control your tears as you get interviewed by Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan where you try and describe what has been an unforgettable day.
Just as they call stumps, with your son remaining unbeaten on 105, you and your family get swarmed by the fans. You slowly try to move towards the exit, but you cannot. Fans, who got their voice because of what your son did on the field for India, and the media, who want to record this historic moment, kind of, mob your family and try to walk with you. Everyone wants to know what it feels like to be Nitish’s father, what it is to be here in this moment to witness your 21-year-old son rise to the occasion and announce his arrival as an international cricketer.
All you could manage to express is “Great moment, first international hundred for Nitish, very very very special day. A good day.” Your wife is overwhelmed by emotions as well while your daughter handles the media. Even as you pose for selfies with the fans and be a part of the videos media try to record, you are slowly escorted out of the iconic venue.
What must it feel like to be Mutyala Reddy? What must it be like to see the dream that you built with your son after leaving your job to focus on his cricket become reality? What must it be like for Nitish, as a 21-year-old, to become an overnight hero for a billion people in front of your family?
“You work hard all these years for that moment, isn't it?” Hanuma Vihari, who was Nitish’s captain when he made his List A debut for Andhra, tries to explain. “To make your family proud, to make your country proud and also to get your first Test hundred is a dream come true. First hundred is always special and that feeling, I don't think you can express in words,” Vihari, who was India’s hero in Sydney three years ago, tells The New Indian Express.
Nitish grabbed the limelight in this year’s Indian Premier League and has been fast-tracked since to international cricket. One of the first things that got noticed as Nitish took on Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland on Saturday at the MCG is his first-class record. A batting average of 23.36 and a bowling average of 27.69 takes one by surprise but not for Vihari, who has seen the youngster from the U-16 level. It is where Nitish made his mark. He smashed at 1237 runs at 176.71 in seven games for Andhra in the 2017-18 Vijay Merchant Trophy. In less than three years, he was playing first-class cricket for Andhra.
Vihari was his captain in his early days as Nitish made his List A debut. “When he was 17, I asked the selectors if it was time to promote him to the senior level because those kinds of cricketers are quite rare in India — batting top of the order and bowling medium pace. I knew it was too early, but I wanted to groom him. So we played him in a Vijay Hazare match against Vidarbha and I sent him number four. He got a fifty in his first game. Then from there onwards, we groomed him more as a bowler who can bat at number seven in first-class cricket because we were short of fast bowlers and we groomed him that way,” recalls a proud Vihari.
Today, Nitish has not just made his family proud, but also Vihari, former chief selector MSK Prasad, Andhra Cricket and the country. “I cannot be more proud of him,” says an elated Vihari. “He's a really hard-working cricketer and the way he's adapted his game to international cricket is quite amazing. You can see his domestic record is not that great, but the way he's adapted his game and has the confidence to perform in Australia, play in those conditions, and achieve what he's done is quite remarkable,” he adds.
Prasad, too, struggles to find words expressing his feelings. “Unbelievable,” says Prasad. “I have seen a wonderful story in front of my eyes. Ever since I saw him somewhere in 2012-13 to now in 2024, I'm seeing a small kid growing into a man and scoring against Australia, in Australia, in an iconic venue. Unbelievable,” he adds.
Both Vihari and Prasad acknowledge that Nitish’s bowling is a work in progress, but the prospect of what he has to offer for Indian cricket is something they are thrilled about. “He's on par with any of the top-order batters. Yes, he's definitely working with regard to his bowling. And he will definitely step up. If he can do it in one discipline, he can always do that in the other. And I hope that slowly, he will be regarded as one of the best all-rounders in this country,” says Prasad.
“I think it's going to be exciting for him. He can be competitive. I think he'll be in the top six in the coming season. And also, if he can improve his bowling a little bit, he will offer a lot. If he's playing in an Indian condition as a batter then in England, he can bat at number six and have that extra medium-pace option and play one or two spinners, whatever the combination they feel like. But I think he'll give you that extra cushion with the bat and also with the ball, which not many teams have. I think if India can groom him really well, he'll be an asset for the next coming decade,” adds Vihari.
While the future will unfold itself for Nitish and Indian cricket, Saturday, December 28, 2024 is set in stone for years to come. And it is something the Reddy family, Prasad and Vihari will fondly remember for the rest of their lives.
